Undercover Alchemist
by jaderaid
Summary: Who will Riza have to kill to satisfy the crime ring ruling the streets of Central City? The life of Elysia Hughes hangs in the balance as Riza must lock away her very soul to save her life... RoyRiza, MariaDenny, EdWinry .:SEE MY PROFILE FOR MORE INFO:.
1. Resignation

_Undercover Alchemist_

_by Jade Rhade_

"Sir." Riza Hawkeye stood at attention in front of her commanding officer's desk after handing him a sheet of paper. "This is my letter of resignation from Military service. It requires your written approval."

"Resig- Hawkeye, what-" Roy Mustang leaned forward across his desk, speechless.

"I am requesting to leave the service, sir."

"But... but why?" Roy looked as shocked as Alphonse Elric does when called a trashcan.

"With all due respect, _sir_, that is none of your business."

His eyes hardened. "I'll consider it. Dismissed."

"Sir." Hawkeye saluted and walked back into the main office.

Roy watched her go, suspicion clearly written across his face. Riza? Resignation? Something wasn't right. But he really had no choice but to OK the request. He reached slowly into his desk and uncapped a pen. Without his customary flourish, he hesitantly but clearly signed his name at the bottom of the letter.

RESIGNATION APPROVED BY COMMANDING OFFICER _Colonel Roy Mustang_

-xXx-

The next day, she was gone, her State-issued pistol left abandoned on what used to be her desk. The mood was subdued, the other Havoc, Fuery, and Breda saying no more than was necessary.

The team was heartbroken. How could Riza Hawkeye just up and leave them?

Roy came in late that day, but no one reprimanded him. Without a glance at any of the others, he walked straight into his office and slammed the door shut.

And so the day progressed. When time came for lunch break, they all silently filed out of the office. Fuery looked back, hand on the doorknob, half expecting to see Riza at her desk, calmly finishing the morning's paperwork while eating her sandwich.

But she wasn't there. Kain sighed and walked out of the office, gently closing the door.

Alone, Roy sat with his head down, pillowed on his arms. He was already regretting allowing Hawkeye to leave. But what else could he do? He couldn't place his own selfish wants above hers. He sighed and stared at the door, waiting for her to storm through and demand to know why he wasn't doing his work.

The phone rang, sounding twice as loud in the otherwise silent room.

Roy ignored it.

_Ring, ring_.

No movement.

_Ring, ring._

Roy slammed his fist down on the desk and snatched up the phone. "This is Mustang, what do you want?" he snapped, imagining Riza's _don't take it out on the phone, sir._

"Roy! Is that any way to answer the telephone?" Maes Hughes berated cheerfully.

"Not now, Hughes."

"Sulking?"

Roy blinked suspiciously. "How did you know?"

"I've known you for a long time, Roy."

He slumped. "Oh."

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

"You know what would cheer you up? Finding a wife!"

Roy slammed the phone down.

-xXx-

Meanwhile, in Central City, Maes Hughes stared at the phone thoughtfully. "Sounds like Eastern Command is falling apart without you, Lieutenant."

"I'm a civilian now, Lieutenant Colonel."

"Of course, Miss Hawkeye. Only temporary, so don't get used to it."

Riza Hawkeye smiled thinly. "Not a chance, sir." He was wearing a simple white button-down blouse with a long, navy blue skirt. She tucked her long blonde hair behind hr ear as she spoke.

Maes nodded slowly. "Right, I forgot, you're the one who actually _likes_ doing paperwork."

"Sir..." Riza paused. "Are you sure it's fair to keep the Colonel in the dark? It seems as though he has a right to know what's going on."

"Sorry, Riza, we can't for security purposes. I trust Roy, but you know how he is... if he somehow got wind you we in trouble, he'd come running and blow your cover. Not to mention that his line may be tapped, or who knows? What we say here cannot go outside this office." Maes looked at her seriously over his glasses.

"I won't let you down, sir." Riza saluted.

Maes chuckled. "At ease. Civilian, remember?"

End Part One 

**A/N: I know this was short, but it's more of an introduction than anything else. The other chapters are longer, I promise! And if the title is rather misleading, I apologize.**

**This takes place sometime between episodes 16 and 25, and it IS based of the anime instead of the manga,because I am only on vol. 4 of the manga, and have seen up to episode 28 +the finale in the anime, so... yeah.**

**Anyway, if anyone reviews, could they PLEASE help me out? I'm relatively new to uploading anime fanfiction, all I've done before are _Star Wars_ and _Andromeda_, and there are a whole slew of new words that I need to know that aren't used in any of the other fandoms- CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT THEY MEAN? I've figured out some, but WTF DOES 'lemon' MEAN? ANYBODY? **

**One more thing: if you don't like the following pairings, please stop now and don't bother to flame me: Roy/Riza, Maria/Denny, possible Havoc/Sheska or Falman/Sheska**


	2. Duty of the Strong

**Author's Note: I forgot a disclaimer in the previous chapter. Oops, apologies, everyone!**

_Disclaimer: Assorted Military personnel, Alphonse Elric, and newly civilian-ized Riza do not belong to me.The word 'civilian-ized', Fedora-man and the name 'Lisa Rhade' DO... that's about it. I was going to say something funny here, but I forgot._

**I think I shall go eat a mini-cream puffafter typing all this... yum. As a note, it is FAR too hot where I live for me to put up with flames, they shall be shoved outside to ROT in this burning heat (But Roy-flames... _that_ is something else entirely). Anyway, if you have critism, say it nicely so I can improve.**

Edward and Alphonse Elric were walking toward the National Library with Maria Ross and Denny Bloch not far behind when Ed saw a familiar face. "Lieutenant!" he called, walking faster.

The blonde woman looking at purses in a store window froze, then hurriedly started walking away.

"Brother?" Alphonse looked down. "What is it?"

Ed frowned. "Ignore me, will you?" he muttered and dashed after. "Lieutenant Hawkeye!" He caught up and grabbed her arm.

Her eyes widened, and she jerked her arm out of his grasp. "I don't know what you're talking about, kid. My name is Lisa Rhade, I'm not a lieutenant of anything." She walked away, leaving Edward standing there with his mouth open.

Maria, Denny, and Alphonse caught up to the young alchemist. "What is it, sir?" Denny asked.

"That was Riza Hawkeye."

"So?" Denny exchanged a confused look with Maria. "What if it was?"

"She denied her identity... something's wrong."

Alphonse shrugged. "Maybe you were mistaken, Brother."

Edward shook his head. "No, it was her, I'm sure of it."

"With respect, sir, you're not making any sense," Maria said bluntly. "Now, are we going to the Library or not?"

He looked after where he had seen the other woman disappear, then sighed. His brother and the Philosopher's Stone were his primary goals, not this puzzle that was Riza Hawkeye. "Yeah. Let's go."

-xXx-

Riza sighed in relief in the dank dimness of an alley. Fullmetal hadn't followed her, and she could only pray he would forget the entire incident. Not likely, she knew, but she didn't really have any other way to respond. The identity the Investigations Department had constructed for her seemed airtight, but she couldn't afford to be recognized again. For all she knew, the criminal group she was supposed to infiltrate was already shadowing her. He heart was pounding in her ears, and it took a minute to get her breathing under control. Damn this undercover!

Riza had received a visit from Lt. Colonel Hughes at her apartment exactly a week ago to the day. It had been one of her few days off, and she had just given Black Hayate his breakfast when someone knocked on the door.

_Riza unhooked the chain and unlocked the door. "Lieutenant Colonel Hughes?" she asked, surprised. A second later she remembered to salute._

"_Enough of that, Lieutenant Hawkeye," Maes said seriously. "May I come in?"_

"_Certainly, sir," she replied, stepping aside to let him in. "I have tea on, would you like some?" It may have sounded dumb, but she was trying to return some semblance of normalcy to this unusual situation._

"_Yes, thank you," Maes answered, looking around her apartment._

"_Here, I'll take your coat," she offered._

"_No, thank you, Lieutenant."_

_There was silence as Riza went into the kitchen and put a tea bag in a second mug. There was no small talk, no 'isn't-my-daughter-adorable?' dialogue. Eventually the tea was done, and she sat at the kitchen table, Hughes across from her._

"_What is it, sir?" Riza asked, coming straight to the point._

_Maes sighed and cradled his mug, "You know of the major crime ring in Central City, correct?"_

"_Who doesn't?" Rhetorical question: anyone who had spent any time in Central knew of the Organization, a simple word synonymous with pain, fear, and death._

"_I'm heading the investigation to shut them down. I've made no secret of it, you can ask Roy." He paused and looked down into the steaming liquid, not seeming to notice the condensation fogging up his glasses._

"_We had an agent working undercover- you wouldn't know him. He had a long, white scar along the back of his hand._

"_Yesterday morning, I found and unmarked package on my desk. The hand was in it. An attached note read:_

"'_Don't try and find your man's body- we've hidden his corpse where the State watchdogs will never find it. I suppose you'll just have to label him as MIA. Consider this a warning._

"'_P.S.- you have a lovely daughter. It would be a shame if anything should happen to darling little Elysia.'_

"_It was signed with a red 'X'. When I got home that day... someone had shot a hole through one of the upper-story windows. Elysia's room."_

_Maes took of his glasses and wiped them methodically on his shirt to clear off the fog. "The bullet lodged in the wall had the same red X."_

_Riza sat with the back of her hand pressed against her mouth, tea sitting forgotten on the table._

"_Officially, I've been removed from the investigation by the higher-ups. Off the record... my department is working overtime on this case. However, I can't risk sending in another agent, odds are these criminals have knowledge of the entire Central Command staff. But we can't give up now, not when we're so close to bringing the Organization to justice. We need someone unconnected with Investigations or Central who would be able to take care of themselves."_

_He put his glasses back on. "Someone like you, Lieutenant."_

_The bright morning sunlight streaming through the windows seemed to mock them both._

_Maes pulled an unmarked envelope out of his brown jacket pocket and set it on the table. "Come see me in Central," he said, walking to the door. He paused with his hand on the knob. "Oh, and thanks for the tea." And he left, shutting the door quietly behind him._

_The cup sat untouched on the table, steam still rising from its contents._

_Riza opened the envelope to find a one-way train ticket to Central City... and a letter of resignation._

_Handing in her letter to Mustang had hurt, but she had done it anyway. She left Black Hayate with Kain Fuery, who almost broke her heart with the look of anguish he gave her. Once on the train, however, it was so crowded she was forced to stand until they came to the next stop. Hopefully people would get off then so she wouldn't have to stand the entire way._

"_Hawkeye," someone whispered in her ear, and only her Military training kept her from jumping, startled. "I'm going to be your contact while you're working with Investigations. Meet me in Car Three after the next stop."_

_Riza turned, but the only person directly behind her was a young mother cradling a crying baby. She caught a glimpse of a man in a battered brown fedora threading his way through the crowd and disappearing into Car Three._

_After the next stop, the train was less crowded, and Riza was able to take the only empty seat in Car Three. She sat there, not really knowing what to do or think._

"_Excuse me?" a male voice asked- the same voice from before. "Is this seat taken?" He pointed to the one across from her._

"_No, it isn't," she answered. She took the measure of the man as he sat before her. He had sandy blond hair and lightly tanned skin, mostly hidden by the brown fedora. He looked completely... ordinary. If she had passed him on the street she probably wouldn't have given him a second glance._

"_I'm sure you're already sick of all this cloak-and-dagger stuff," he said, speaking softly with a small smile. "Get used to it, sister. Like I said before, I'll be the your contact the entire time, working as the go-between for you and Hughes." He reached up and took a small briefcase down from the rack above and opened it on his lap. The top kept Riza from seeing its contents._

_He passed her a stack of papers. "This is your new identity, put together by Investigations, along with your complete briefing on this case."_

"'_Lisa Rhade'?" Riza asked, reading the name aloud._

"_It's close enough to your real name that you should have little trouble adapting to it. See Hughes once you arrive." He got up to leave, snapping the briefcase shut._

"_Wait!" Riza called as he started to walk away. "What do I call you?"_

_He smirked and tipped his hat, then disappeared into another car._

_She looked after him for a while then rested her head against the window and started to read, silently._

'_Name: Lisa Rhade. Sex: Female. Age: Twenty-six (26). Date of Birth: Third of May, Year Eighteen Hundred and Eighty Nine. Racial type: Caucasian. Hair color: Blonde. Eye Color: Dark Brown. Current address...'_

This 'Lisa Rhade's' profile was more detailed than her own. When she got to Central, she made a point to ask Hughes about it.

"Lisa Rhade... was she a real person?" 

"_No. Intel put together the entire profile from scratch using some of your own elements in developing the identity."_

"_How could you know all these details about me? _Where_ did you _get_ this information?"_

_Maes shrugged. "Let's check up on Roy, shall we?" He picked up the phone and dialed the operator. "Hello, could you patch me through to Colonel Roy Mustang in Eastern HQ? Thanks."_

_The phone rang a few times, and then was picked up by an irate Colonel. "Colonel Mustang, what do you want?"_

"_Roy, is that any way to answer the telephone?" Maes said cheerfully, switching moods completely._

"_Not now, Hughes," Riza could hear the exasperation in his voice from all the way across the room._

"_Sulking?" Maes asked, sticking out his lower lip comically._

_Pause. "How did you know?"_

"_I've known you for a long time, Roy."_

"_Oh."_

"_What is it?"_

"_Nothing."_

_Riza heard the _BANG_ of the phone on the other end being slammed down on the receiver. "Don't take it out on the phone, sir," she whispered to herself with a small smile._

So now she stood here in this deserted alley, doing a job she wasn't even trained to do. She was supposed to be contacted by the Fedora-man, as she had come to call him, while she was looking at purses in the store window, but Fullmetal was getting in the way of everything.

"Close one, eh, Rhade?" came a voice from behind her.

Riza counted two heartbeats before turning to face him. Fedora-man was wearing a brown trenchcoat with an unlit cigar in his hand.

"I've spread hints through my own contacts that you're looking for work, and that you're an _excellent_ shot. This is true, correct?"

Riza raised an eyebrow. "So I've been told."

"You have a weapon with you, of course?"

The eyebrow just raised higher.

"Good," her informant smiled. "They should contact you within a few days. Oh, and do try and steer clear from any Military personnel that may recognize you."

"Of course," she said, monotone.

"I have to report into station now, so don't mind me." Fedora-man walked out of the alley without giving her a backward glance.

Riza shook her head and sighed. _Damn this undercover_.

-xXx-

The apartment Investigations had purchased seemed as if it had been lived in. There were clean towels in the closets, clothes in the dressers... all in her size. Riza found herself vaguely disturbed by this. How much did the Military know about her personal life?

She picked up one of the picture frames that littered a bedside table. All were of scenes she had never seen or experienced herself. The one she held now was of a young girl who looked like her, but was cradling a tiny kitten in her arms that Riza had never owned in life.

Riza went into the closet and sorted through the clothes, pulling out a long, silver evening dress. _Do they actually expect me to wear something like this? If so, where? I wonder how much this cost,_ she mused, stroking the silky smooth material. _It had to have been expensive. Taxpayers' money at work,_ she thought wryly.

Riza looked out the window and shivered suddenly as if a chill wind had blown across her.

_For all I know, they could be watching me right now._

_End Part Two_

**A/N: Think of the Organization as something like the Italian Mafia**

**Thanks to:** Anicka, SnakeCharmerFoxx, and especially to Reflection, (who I was not able to reply to) for helpfully pointing out what a 'lemon' is. Thanks, and hope you enjoyed!

**Additional A/N: I do not upload new chapters until I get at least one review. I do this because if you don't review,I assume no one is reading and/or cares, andI see no point in updating. Thanks for putting up with me, and if you're not the type for reviews, just leave an anonymous review with either a smiley or a sad face for whether you like or not.**

**Thanks again for putting up with me!**


	3. Answers Given to Questions Never Asked

**A/N: Well, this came sooner than I anticipated because I broke two of my toes yesterday and am now sitting with my foot taped up in front of the computer. My toes hurt _real_ bad, so I hope you enjoy this chapter! If anyone notices the _Star Wars _quotes, I'll give you a cookie!**

"The newbie seems to be doing alright." Fedora-man stood at attention in full uniform, his ever-present hat in one hand. "We had a slight complication, however."

Maes leaned across the desk. "Tell me," he ordered.

"The Fullmetal Alchemist recognized Riza this afternoon. He almost blew the entire operation."

"Shit. Perceptive kid."

"Do you think he'll interfere?"

Maes shook his head thoughtfully. "You never know with Ed. You'll think he's doing one thing, and POOF! turns out he was doing something different all together." He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I'll talk to him."

"With all due respect sir, do you think that's wise? Bringing Fullmetal into the fold, I mean."

Hughes shook his head again, slowly. "I don't think we can risk him _not _being in the know."

"Shall I continue to shadow Miss Hawkeye?"

He nodded. "We need a break in this case. I think-"

They could hear Sheska arguing loudly with someone. "The Lieutenant Colonel is not to be-"

A woman with short dark brown hair and wearing a Military uniform burst through and began searching Hughes' office without regard for the two men already in it.

"Disturbed," Sheska finished, hanging her head.

"Dammit, not here," a clearly frustrated Maria Ross muttered furiously. She ran out, slamming the door behind her with such force that the smoked glass shattered.

Maes and his agent gaped as a blond man edged cautiously into view. A sheepish-looking Denny Bloch saluted warily. "We're sorry, sirs, but Fullmetal's gone missing and-"

"_BLOCH!"_ Maria shouted from some distance away. _"Get moving!"_

Denny jumped guiltily and dashed after her. "Coming!" In his haste he tripped on the stairs. "Waaah-!"

Crash.

Maes looked up from the broken glass on the floor. "Remind you of Hawkeye?"

Fedora-man just blinked.

-xXx-

"Brother, are you sure we should be doing this?" Alphonse whispered as if he were afraid of being overheard. "You know how Lieutenant Ross gets when she can't find us." The two stood in an alley; Al was hunched over as if that would make him inconspicuous.

Edward nodded once. "Of course I'm sure, Al. I'm going to get to the bottom of this."

"But why? This isn't really our problem."

"I want to know what's going on."

"Why don't we just ask the Lieutenant Colonel? He always seems to know a little about everything."

"Hughes? That's the first place those two will look for us. Besides, he's been busy since Elysia was threatened."

"But why are we hiding from the Sergeant and the Lieutenant in the first place? Brother, I'm confused," Alphonse added pathetically.

"You know how they get," Edward put his hands on his hips and imitated Maria. "'Children should not get involved in State affairs. Especially ones that are too big for them to understand.' And then, she'll hit me! She's almost as bad as Winry!"

"She's not as bad as Teacher, though."

Ed shuddered. "True. And at least Ross doesn't hit me."

"I heard that Lieutenant Hawkeye uses her gun to 'motivate' Colonel Mustang."

"Where'd you hear that?"

Alphonse shuffled his feet. "Lieutenant Havoc."

"He's not a reliable source, Al."

"But Fuery said it too! And so did Breda and Falman! _And Falman doesn't lie_," he finished solemnly.

"You're right, Al. I don't think that guy _knows how_ to lie. He's too literal."

"_Anyway_," Alphonse said, getting back on topic. "About Lieutenant Hawkeye... I have an idea."

"Let's hear it."

"Why don't we call Colonel Mustang and ask him what he knows? It might not have been Hawkeye you saw?"

Edward sighed. "Fine, we'll call Mustang. Happy?"

-xXx-

Roy was presently amusing himself by seeing how many different animals he could fashion out of flames when the phone rang. He contemplated ignoring it, but in the end picked it up. "Colonel Mustang, go ahead."

"Colonel Shit, just the man I wanted to talk to!"

Roy smirked. "Is Al letting you sit on his shoulders so you can reach the payphone, Fullmetal?"

The barb had the desired effect. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING-"

Another voice took the line. "Umm, Colonel?" Edward could still be heard screaming incoherently in the background.

"What is it, Alphonse?" Roy leaned across his desk as if it could bring him closer to the boy.

"Could we speak to Lieutenant Hawkeye, please?" Edward had stopped yelling and was pressed up against the phone.

Roy blinked and leaned back as far as the phone's cord would let him. "She resigned a few days ago..."

"Oh." Alphonse sounded subdued. "You don't say."

"What's going on, Al?" He could faintly hear Ed demanding to be given the phone.

"We were rather hoping _you_ knew, sir."

"Give me the phone!" There was a loud _thunk_ Roy assumed was the sound of a phone being whacked against Al's armor, then Ed's voice came on the line. "Did Hawkeye say why she resigned? It doesn't sound like her."

"No, she didn't. Why?"

Edward paused, then told the Colonel all he knew- which wasn't much, granted, but Roy listened anyway. "...And so we're going to dig around and see what we can find out," he finished. "See, I _told_ you this was worth investigating!" he whispered triumphantly to Al.

"Investiga-" Roy suddenly made a connection and snapped his fingers, producing a spark. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Fullmetal. I would assume you are not with your assigned bodyguards, so be careful. I have a bad feeling about this."

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure, but this whole situation is making me uneasy. I'm going to talk to Hughes, I think he probably knows something about this. Where should I contact you two?"

Edward looked at his brother. "I don't know where we'll be, so just leave a message at Central HQ."

"Alright. Let me say this again- be careful. IF this really is what I think it is..." he trailed off.

"You got it- there's no way I'm dying before you do."

"Bye, Colonel," Alphonse said quickly before Ed hung up the phone.

Roy dropped the handset onto the receiver, then almost immediately picked it up and dialed Hughes.

-xXx-

Sheska was sweeping the floor to remove the shattered glass when the phone rang. She wiped her forehead and leaned over to grab it. Unfortunately, she lost her balance and went skidding across the floor- straight into a very surprised Vato Falman, who was forced to step back to absorb Sheska's momentum without falling over, the papers he was carrying flying through the air.

"I'm so sorry!" Sheska gushed, blinking her large brown eyes rapidly. "I didn't mean to, oh, I'm so clumsy, what am I going to do, am I going to get fired? Ahh! I can't get fired, I just got here! Ahh! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, _please_ don't let me get fired!"

Vato stood there with his mouth open, looking down at the small woman that had been thrust into him. He didn't know so many words could spill out of one person's mouth at that speed. "Umm, the phone?" he said lamely after a second.

"Oh! Right!" Sheska went skidding across the floor and grabbed the phone. "Lieutenant Colonel Hughes' office... yes sir, he's right here... yes, I'll patch you through right away, sir."

Inside the office, Vato heard Hughes answer the phone, and then he bent down and started gathering the papers that had scattered.

"Oh! I'll help you with that!" Sheska said quickly, brushing glass out of the way so she could kneel and grab some papers. "It's my fault you dropped them, anyway."

"Thank you, Miss..." he paused.

"Sheska," she answered. "And you're Warrant Officer Falman, right? You work under the Lieutenant Colonel."

"Vato."

"Huh?"

"My name. You can call me Vato."

"Vato. That's a nice name," Sheska grinned at the tall man.

Vato shrugged noncommittally.

"I'm sorry for making you drop all your papers," Sheska said sadly.

He laughed quietly. "I told you, it's alright." Vato looked over to her desk and paused, seeing a book. "You're reading _Crimson Angel_?"

"Not during work!" she protested.

"It's my favorite book!" Falman said happily. "I didn't think anyone else read spy novels."

"Really?" Sheska's eyes got big.

"Maybe we could... talk about it over lunch sometime," Vato asked hesitantly, then mentally kicked himself. _What a dumb line, stupid Vato, who do you think you are, Havoc?_

Sheska broke into a large smile. "I'd love to! How 'bout I meet you in the mess hall during lunch break?"

-xXx-

Meanwhile, Hughes sat alone in his office. Fedora-man had left to do whatever it is he does (Maes found it best not to ask what he did when not in uniform), and Maes now found himself about to play 20 Questions with his best friend.

"So, Maes... how's my Lieutenant?"

"What, Havoc?"

"No, not Havoc!"

"Hawkeye, then?" Maes decided to play dumb and feigned a gasp. "Don't tell me... you two are finally together-"

"Hughes!"

"-am I going to be the best man? Honestly, what color should Elysia wear for flower girl? I was thinking some kind of light blue, or maybe-"

"_Hughes!_"

"-a pale turquoise to set off her eyes! She has eyes like mine, did you notice? Everyone says so-" he held the phone at arm's length in anticipation of what was next.

"_HUGHES!_" Roy shouted. "I'm being serious, here, where is my Lieutenant?"

Maes sighed and dropped the act. "You remember the conversation we had over the phone during the Hakuro incident?" he asked, referring to when he had been manning the switchboard before a group of terrorists called Eastern Liberation Front Blue Squad had taken over. Hughes had babbled on about how beautiful his wife was until they got confirmation from Intelligence that they weren't being tapped.

There was a short pause. "I remember. The conversation we had about Gracia, right?"

"Exactly," Maes said, relieved.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Do you think Eastern Command can survive without you for a few days?"

"Lieutenant Havoc can take my place for a couple of days, yes."

"Good. I'll see you in Central then. Bye Roy."

_Click_.

-xXx-

Roy glared at the poor phone, which had raised more questions than answers. It wasn't the telephone's fault, of course, but he briefly considered blowing it up anyway. He restrained himself and called Havoc into his office.

"Yessir?" Jean asked, throwing a rather half-hearted salute as he entered the room.

"I'm going to be in Central for a few days, I need you to hold down the fort while I'm gone."

"Oh?" Jean's eyebrow rose. "Do I get your paycheck for those days, sir?"

"If the Military doesn't compensate you, I'll pay you myself," Roy promised. "Hell, I'll even find you a girlfriend if you want. This is important, Havoc," he said seriously.

Jean considered it and grinned. "Sure, chief." He paused. "Is this trip going to be off-the-record?" he asked, meaning 'Do the higher-ups get to know about your little escapade?'

"Let's play it safe," Roy said. "If any of the higher-ups ask, tell them I took the week off, but do _not_ tell them where I'm going."

"Sure thing." Havoc saluted, then stared down at Mustang.

"What?" Roy looked around, frowning.

"You are in my chair," Jean said haughtily.

Roy laughed and got up, grabbing his coat. "I'll call you when I get back, so no wild parties while I'm gone."

"Dammit, ruins my fun," Jean sat in the chair and started to spin.

Roy grinned as he walked out the door. "Careful with the chair."

"Wha-aaaah!" Jean cried as he toppled backward.

_Crash_.

-xXx-

The sun was setting as Roy carried his suitcase toward the train station. _Time to head out_.

_End Part Three_

**A/N: Wow... I didn't realize how long this was until just now. Oops. I also didn't notice until all the _crashing_ going on in the chapter. Another oops. Denny, Falman, Havoc... I love the Military! **

**But aren't Falman and Sheska CUTE! _:shows pictures: _"And this is Falman walking toward Sheska in the mess hall, and _this_ is Falman walking into a sliding glass door, and _this_ is Sheska dropping her bowl of soup on the floor, and _this_- _:is killed by Hughes for taking his job:_**

**Hughes: "And now it's my turn!" _:whips out pictures as everyone runs screaming:_**


	4. For Turquoise Eyes

**A/N: The quote Riza claims is from her father is actually from my own dad. The 'open mouth, insert foot' is from my history teacher. Aw, _crap_... I just reminded myself I have a history final to study for.**

Riza woke up in the morning with the sun shining brightly in her eyes. She lay there for a moment, not really sure what to do. There was no dog to walk, no laundry to be done, nothing needed to be cleaned, no paperwork needed to be signed- she had nothing to do. _I wish the Organization would just contact me already,_ she thought with a sigh. _Then I could get back to the job that needs doing- babysitting the Colonel._

Little did she know her Colonel was pulling into Central Station at this very moment.

The phone rang, and she snatched it up. "Hello?"

"We see that you are finally awake; and here we were thinking you would sleep all day," a male voice said coolly.

She bolted upright. "Who is this?"

"We hear you're a good shot, Rhade," the voice continued, ignoring her question. "Why don't you prove it to us?"

"How?" she asked. Slowly. Suspiciously.

"Warehouse Twenty-two. We'll see you there."

_Click_, then the dial tone. Riza sat and stared at the phone before carefully setting it back on the hook.

_They knew exactly when I was awake. They _do_ have someone watching me. The Organization is probably tapping the phone, as well._

_What now? Am I supposed to report in to Hughes? Or do I just go?_ She hugged her knees to her chest, shivering despite the warn sunshine that came in through the curtained window. _Why did I accept this assignment in the first place?_

A memory flashed of little Elysia Hughes, staring at her with her huge turquoise eyes. _"Are your guns heavy?"_ she had asked innocently.

Riza's gaze hardened, and the shaking stopped. She knew why she was here. It was her duty, and it was the right thing to do.

-xXx-

Riza stood outside Warehouse 22 twenty minutes later. She had her hair back in its customary clip, and she wore plain brown pants with a low-cut white tank top. The bottoms of the pants legs were tucked into her black leather lace-up boots, and her brown jacket was weighted by the pistol concealed inside. The hilt of a combat knife stuck up from her right boot.

She was as ready as shewould everbe.

Riza took a deep breath and used both hands to shove the rusted doors open. The squealed harshly, and her footsteps echoed through the empty space. She slowly drew her pistol, eyes darting through the shadows, seeing nothing. She kept the muzzle next to her left ear, pointed toward the ceiling high above as she moved forward cautiously.

A slight _scrape_ was her only warning as something flew through the air at her. She ducked and twisted, firing twice.

The silence was deafening as the cloth dummy fluttered toward the ground, two bullet holes through its head and chest.

Her breathing was slow and even; her heartbeat barely elevated. "Is that all you've got?" she shouted contemptuously.

With a _shhing!_ dozens of metal targets popped up from the floor. Riza dove, firing as each target presented itself. She rolled behind one to reload as bullets started flying through the air- somehow the sheets of metal were shooting back at her!

_Impossible!_ her mind screamed as she rolled to the side, the thin aluminum not proving much in the way of cover.

_Blam, blam, blam, blam!_ went her pistols. With every shot, another target crashed to the ground until there were none left. With a hollow clatter, the last one toppled. Silence rushed in to once again claim the warehouse.

Riza released her left hand from the smoking weapon and brushed her hair away from her face. The clip holding it back had fallen off sometime during the minute or so of combat. Her pistol was out of ammunition, and as she went to reload she heard a noise- footsteps. She crouched and spun, knife drawn and at the ready.

The sharp sound of a single pair of hands clapping greeted her.

A man was standing there, with two others standing slightly behind and to the side. It was his hands that clapped. He had a curly mop of dark brown hair and tanned skin, but the first thing Riza noticed was his eyes. They were a light grey that seemed to almost glow with malevolence. "So the rumors of you are true, Lisa Rhade," he said haughtily. "Oh, you can put your weapons away; they are no longer needed."

Riza slid the pistol into her jacket pocket, but kept the knife in her hand.

"Smart girl," the man observed. He stepped forward suddenly and roughly grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes, and only then did she see what made them glow so strangely.

A tiny transmutation circle was on the surface of the eyeball itself. "Scratched into the cornea," he said, releasing her and stepping back. "You'll do, Rhade."

Hawkeye's own eyes burned at this man's casual invasion of her space. "And who the hell are you?" she bit out.

"Feisty, eh? You can call me Mae'var." He smirked. "I'll be your new boss for the time being. Impress me, and you impress X."

She looked him up and down, and allowed her lips to curve into a small smile, then bowed, not a centimeter more than was proper. "You'll do," she replied, making it sound as though she were the one in control, instead of the other way around.

Mae'var laughed. Not a warm laugh, but an emotionless chuckle. "Come with me, Rhade, and I promise, whatever your motivations prompted you to join us, you will not be disappointed."

A fifth person joined them as they made their way out of the warehouse. He was small and soft-spoken, but lean and muscular. "The dummy would have been dead after the first hit, yet you fired twice. Why is that?"

"Anything worth shooting once is worth shooting twice," Riza answered coldly, refusing to look at him. _He must have been in the shadows during the entire fight to have seen where the first shot impacted. I'll have to be careful around him._ "That's what my father always said."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him nod slowly. "Words to live by, in our profession."

-xXx-

Back in Eastern, Kain Fuery pushed open the door to Mustang's- temporarily Havoc's- office. "General Hakuro to see you, sir."

Jean hastily stood, straightened, and saluted. "Sir!" _Oh shit._ "This is an unexpected surprise!" _And completely unwelcome. Shit-shit-shit. Go away. _Please_ go away?_

If the grey-haired general noticed the pleading look in the lower officer's eyes, he ignored it. "Lieutenant Havoc," he said warmly, adopting what Jean called the politician's smile. (_A smile so fake a _blind_ man could see through it,_ Jean thought "Where is the Colonel? I was rather hoping to speak with him."

_Bullshit,_ Jean thought. "Colonel Mustang is currently on leave, sir," he said. "If we'd known you were in Eastern, I'm quite certain he would have delayed his plans so he could see you." _When the hell did you get here, anyway? You don't like to leave your plush desk job in Central since you 'promoted' Mustang and gave him this middle-of-nowhere post. You seem to have a knack for being in places you shouldn't be, General._ He returned the politician's smile.

"Really? Do you happen to know where he's run off to?"

"Nope- sir!" he added quickly, mentally kicking himself. _You just said 'nope' to a higher-up! Open mouth, insert foot, Jean!_

"I just find it odd that Lieutenant Hawkeye resigns, and now Mustang is on leave. That doesn't strike you as strange, Second Lieutenant?"

You_ strike me as strange_. "No, sir, not really." _Please go away? I'll give you a present for your birthday. I'll giftwrap a grenade. Now be a good higher-up and stop asking questions. Go away._

"I have to wonder about Colonel Mustang's management skills, don't you?" Hakuro was examining books neatly lined up on a shelf.

"Sir, I believe the Colonel has remarkable management skills. May I ask what brings you out this far, General? What about your own command in Central?" _Yes! Score one for the good guys!_ Jean stuck his tongue out behind the general's back, hearing Fuery trying to restrain a laugh.

Jean quickly retracted his tongue as Hakuro turned around. "Well, when Mustang returns, tell him I want to speak with him, Lieutenant," he said, purposefully avoiding the question.

"Of course, sir," he saluted. _Go away. GO AWAY!_

Hakuro returned the salute, and left, Breda entering and Fuery shutting the door behind him. "See, my subliminal messages _do_ work!" Havoc said triumphantly with a grin.

Kain rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh." Breda just shook his head.

"Seriously, though. What do you think is going on? Hakuro may be an idiot, but if he's noticed what a big coincidence this is, smarter higher-ups will be poking around as well."

Heymans shrugged. "I dunno."

Jean collapsed back in his chair. "I hope Mustang comes back soon. I didn't realize how much work the poor guy does."

"Huh?" Kain and Heymans exchanged a look of confusion, both knowing the Colonel's attitude toward working.

"Dealing with the scumbags known as higher-ups."

"Oh. So when is the new lieutenant supposed to be rotating in?" Kain asked. "The one who is going to... replace... Hawkeye."

"There's a new lieutenant coming in?" Jean asked stupidly.

"It's in the paperwork."

"Bah, who reads paperwork?"

"I do. Which is why I know a new lieutenant is being transferred here."

"Shit." Jean leaned back in the chair, pulling a fresh cigarette from the pack he kept in his pocket. "Know anything about him?"

"Actually, I think it's a her," Heymans said.

"A female subordinate..." Jean grinned happily, shutting his eyes. "This could work out."

_Oh no_, both Fuery and Heymans thought at the same time.

-xXx-

"So, Maes, care to explain what's going on?" Roy sat on the couch in Hughes' living room. The serious nature of their conversation was muted somewhat by the fact that Elysia had crawled onto his lap and insisted "Uncle Woy" use her plastic play cup for his tea.

"Elysia, Daddy and Roy have to talk about work now, okay?" Maes told her, taking a seat across from Mustang. "Why don't you go up and play in your room?"

Elysia smiled up at her 'uncle'. (Who was technically her godfather, but what's the difference to a three-year-old?) "You'll come see my room later, right?"

Roy laughed. "Sure, Elysia, but Daddy and I have to talk now."

"'Kay!" she scampered off up the stairs.

The smile faded as he looked over at Hughes. "So you're saying that Hawkeye is working for the same bastards that threatened your daughter?"

"It was the only way, Roy," Maes protested. "The Organization _must_ be shut down! I can't risk sending in my own agents, but Hawkeye is an unknown to them. I didn't want to be forced into this corner, but shit happens, and we play the cards we're dealt."

"Couldn't you use someone besides _my_ Lieutenant?" Roy's eyes burned with fury only suppressed because of Elysia's and Gracia's presence in the house.

"I'm trusting Riza with Elysia's _life_, Roy, because I know you trust her with yours. I have faith in her, you should try and cultivate the same."

"I want to talk to her."

He shook his head adamantly. "Not possible. Her cover will be blown."

"Can't we do _anything_?"

"No. It's all in her hands, now."

Silence.

"Uncle Woy, come play with me!" Elysia's voice rang through the house.

Roy got up from the couch and placed a card on the table. "This is the hotel I'll be staying in, if you need me," he said softly. "Elysia?" he called. "Uncle Roy has work to do, can he play with you later?"

Elysia peeked out from the top of the stairs. "Could you come see my room before you go?"

His heart ached for the child with the turquoise eyes. "Sure," Mustang followed her up the stairs.

While Elysia cheerfully pointed out her favorite toys with all the joy of Major Armstrong discussing his illustrious family background, Roy's gaze kept moving back to a freshly plastered section of the wall that must have covered where the bullet had come through. The white stood out from the soft pink paint that was all over the rest of the room.

His attention was abruptly yanked back to the child when she wrapped her arms around his legs and looked up pleadingly. "What's wrong, Elysia?" he asked, crouching down to her level.

"Uncle Woy... something's wrong with Daddy. He looks busy all the time." Elysia looked down. "I'm scared," she confided softly.

Roy patted the top of her head, at a loss at what to do. "Don't worry," he said comfortingly. "Your daddy and I will figure this out, okay? I won't let anybody hurt you or your dad."

"Promise?"

"There's nothing for you to be scared of." As he spoke, Roy looked up and saw Gracia watching the two of them. _Nothing to be scared of,_ he thought, nodding acknowledgment the woman as he let Elysia go.

_I wish I could be sure of that._

-xXx-

"Mae'var!" a young man, no more than seventeen shouted, his running footsteps splashing in the shallow water of the sewer and echoing off the dank tunnel walls. "Mae'var!"

An arm whipped out of nowhere, clotheslining the young man. As he lay flat on his back gasping for air, sewer water seeping through his clothing, another man walked into his line of sight, followed by his ususal guards and a blonde woman he didn't recognize. "When you want to find me, Johnny, you _ask_, you do _not_ run screaming."

Johnny coughed, massaging his throat. "But-"

"And you _wait_ until I deem you worth speaking to," Mae'var added harshly.

Aside from the _drip-drip_ of water, the only noise was the boy's labored breathing.

Mae'var nodded slowly. "Speak."

"He's coming!"

"_Who?_" Mae'var was quickly loosing patience with poor Johnny.

"The Fullmetal Alchemist!"

From behind him, he heard a sharp intake of breath. Mae'var turned to see only Lisa Rhade and his guards standing impassively where he had told them too. _Strange_, he mused, turning back to face the boy. "Now, then, Johnny, do get up."

Johnny stood warily.

"What have we learned today?"

"No shouting, and speak only when spoken to," he gasped, still with his hand on this throat.

"You're a smart lad, but something must be done to reinforce the lesson," Mae'var sounded truly regretful. "Miss Rhade, shoot him, if you please. In a non-vital area, of course; he still has some use."

"As you command," Lisa replied smoothly, pulling her pistol out of her jacket pocket and sliding in a fresh clip. She walked toward the young man and looked into his eyes.

Johnny whimpered, but her eyes showed no mercy. To his credit, he stood straight and didn't look away.

Lisa sighted along the barrel and fired once. The bullet penetrated the meaty flesh of his right biceps, and he collapsed, his screams echoing off the tunnel walls.

"Get up," she said coolly, sliding the pistol back into its concealing pocket. "If you don't want that to become infected, then _get up_, or at least keep the wound out of the water."

"Leave him, Rhade," Mae'var ordered. "And come with me. Seems we are going to have a mouse to play with."

Lisa nodded and followed silently.

-xXx-

Riza felt like she was going to be sick. It was all she could to keep from drawing her pistol and blowing Mae'var's brains out. But she couldn't- not yet. She'd have to gain their trust one step at a time until she got close to the mysterious 'X' that was the leader of the Organization- and now her. She didn't even know if this 'X' was male or female.

And now Fullmetal was coming. He could ruin everything.

_End Part Four_

**A/N: I would like to say one thing right here: _this is not an Edward-bashing fic, _contrary to what my beta keeps telling me. But, she is an Edward fangirl, and she gets upset if Maria punches him. Anyway, I apologize if this is coming off as Ed-bashing... I love Ed as much as any FMA watcher, I just like Roy better. :) Again, apologies to all the Ed fangirls.**

**As another note... thanks to Anicka and SnakeCharmerFoxx: I wasn't able to reply to your reviews until I uploaded this chapter, so... yeah. If this chapter is uploaded and I don't appear to have replied, blame ff . net's slow service.**

**_:glares at anonymous people leaving hits on chapters:_ Don't you feel bad, reading without offering feedback?**


	5. Courage of the Captured

**A/N: I find the Elric brothers difficult to write, which is why I try and stick with the Military because I love them so. :) But anyway, I tried to make them as in character as possible, I just find them hard to write. Bear with me, please!**

**Also, I've been looking at Al's armor, and I've decided that the ribbon-looking thing attached to the top is made of some kind of animal hair. Historically (I believe, don't quote me on this) that horsehair was often used for that purpose.**

**And, I made a mistake. Sheska's eyes are _green_, not brown like I stated in an earlier part. Oops, sorry!**

_Okay,_ Edward thought. _Maybe I overestimated myself._ He and Alphonse stood at the entrance of the very tunnel where Johnny had been shot less than half an hour ago. "I've got a bad feeling about this," he murmured. "It looks like a trap."

"Brother, I've got an idea!" Alphonse said excitedly. "You get inside me, so then if we're captured they'll think I'm just a regular suit of armor!"

"That's a good idea, Al, why didn't I think of that?" Ed pulled Al's helmet off by the horsehair, and Alphonse knelt down to let his brother climb inside.

Edward knocked on the chest-plate. "Let's go, Al."

-xXx-

With each clanking step, Alphonse could hear his brother rattling around inside. _Well, maybe if you weren't so _small, he thought, _then we-_

"Fullmetal Alchemist!" barked a familiar female voice from behind them. "Turn around slowly, and put your hands on your head!"

"Brother?" Alphonse whispered, complying with the woman's demands. "I don't know if you can see this, but we're surrounded."

Al turned around to see Riza Hawkeye holding a gun on them, backed up by at least a dozen armed men.

"On your knees, Edward Elric," she ordered.

Alphonse did as he was told. "Brother," he whispered. "She keeps referring to me as you, wha-"

"I get it, Al. She had you kneel so I could stand," Edward answered softly.

"Helmet off," one of the others said.

"Play dead, Al," Ed whispered, throwing his brother's helmet to the ground, where it bounced twice with a splash and a dull clang.

"Get him out of the armor," Riza ordered the man standing next to her.

"We don't take orders from you, Rhade," he answered, glaring.

Riza gave him a look that said _oh-you-don't-do-you?_ and abruptly turned and fired one shot at the Elric brothers. Both gasped, and they hoped that the criminals didn't hear Al's.

The bullet ricocheted off the armor, and the man who had spoken was forced to duck.

The report still echoed through the tunnel as Riza spoke. "Our weapons cannot penetrate Fullmetal's armor, now _get him out of it_."

The man glared defiantly for a moment, then motioned to the man at his side. The two of them wrestled a kicking and yelling Edward Elric out of Alphonse's armor and deposited him roughly on the ground.

Ed spat out sewer water and stared angrily at Hawkeye. _I had better be right about her_, he thought. Then blackness claimed his vision as one of them slammed the butt of his weapon against the back of his head.

The last thing he heard was; "Excellent work, Rhade," from a voice that dripped with malevolent suavity. Then he collapsed into the water.

-xXx-

"Excellent work, Rhade," Mae'var said smoothly as he entered the gathered ring of criminals to stare down at the limp body of the renowned Fullmetal Alchemist. "I can see why they call him 'Fullmetal'," he added, kicking the still kneeling (supposedly) lifeless suit of armor, which crashed into the water at the prod. "Superb armor; the bullet didn't even scratch it."

Riza took a deep breath, and then a gamble. "May I keep the armor?" she asked, coming up behind him. "I like to take things from each of the... victims... I defeat in combat."

"He's not defeated yet," Mae'var corrected, looking up at her. "He's not dead." He grinned wickedly. "But he'll soon wish he was when I'm through with him. As for the armor- it's yours, I have no use for such a thing. But I want you to remember I gave it to you free of charge... I may want something in return at a later time. Understand?"

"Yes... yes, I do." _You foul bastard, I'll give you something in return, just not what you're expecting when you look at me like that. I'll give you a bullet to the brain, how's that for repayment? That's what alchemists call 'Equivalent Exchange', isn't it?_ She looked down at the suit of armor that was Alphonse Elric, then crouched down and picked up the head from where it had bounced. "I'm sorry," was all she could whisper, resting her forehead against his.

-xXx-

"We have to help my brother!" Alphonse exclaimed. He sat on the cold stone floor (not that he could tell it was cold) in the quarters Hawkeye had been given within the Organization. It was simple, with only a hard metal bunk and thin sheets for a bed. The only other room was a tiny bathroom with a sink, toilet, and shower.

Riza was running her hands along the walls, searching for listening devices of any kind. "Quiet!" she hissed.

Once finished, finding none to her surprise, she sighed and sat down cross-legged across from him. "I can't do that, Alphonse."

"Why _not_? He would come after me!"

"And if he were here and you were captured, I would be telling him the same thing," she said bluntly. "I can't afford to have my cover blown."

"So you're going to let them hurt Brother, and I'm just supposed to sit here?"

"They won't kill him. Not yet. Al, I need you to listen to me. There's more at stake than you know." She then proceeded to give him the short version of what she was doing.

"So I'm supposed to choose Elysia's life over Brother's?" Alphonse stood, furious. "How can you expect me to do that?"

"I'm _not_, Alphonse," Riza said sternly. "I asked you to listen. Standing and shouting is not listening."

He knelt and placed his hands on his metal thighs.

"I'm going to get Edward out of here, I just don't know how yet." Riza clenched her fists. "I refuse to cause the death of any more friends. It's a thin tightrope, but I have to walk it." She paused. "Who else knows you're here?"

"Ummm," Alphonse thought about it for a second. "Only Colonel Mustang, I think."

"Ah, _hell!_"

Al stopped at the uncharacteristic outburst from the normally cool and collected Lieutenant. "What? What's wrong?"

"God, I hope Hughes intercepts him. If he finds me..."

"I don't understand, Lieu- eh, _Lisa_," Alphonse corrected himself quickly.

"Mustang is very protective of his subordinates. If something should happen to me, he'll come running. He is a good man, though." She looked down at the floor as she admitted this.

"Brother doesn't like the Colonel very much."

"He just puts himself and his direct subordinates above everything else. He'll do what he has to be promoted, and change this State for the better. _That's_ why we would follow him until death- and he would do the same for us."

Alphonse nodded. "I understand."

"Mustang and Edward clash because they are so much alike," Riza finished. "That's just the way things are."

-xXx-

It could be said that Maria Ross was extremely worried. More accurately, she was freaking out completely. She was pacing back and forth, glaring at Denny for no apparent reason.

Bloch was surprisingly calm. "They'll come back," he said confidently.

Glare.

"Where do you think they went?"

"If I knew _that_, I would be there!" Maria snapped.

"Guess what I heard."

"What?"

"Falman and Sheska are going out."

"What does that have to do with anything?" she stopped pacing with her back to him.

"Well... you could go out with me," he said hesitantly.

Maria started pacing again. "We should be finding Fullmetal instead of-" She paused. "What did you say?"

"Umm... nothing."

"You said something, what did you say?"

"Never mind," he answered quickly.

"Sergeant..." she said warningly.

"Wouldyoupleasegooutwithme?"

"What?" she looked at Denny, confused.

He was blushing now. "Colonel Mustang!" he shouted suddenly.

Maria blinked and turned to see the approaching Colonel. "Sir!" She saluted, hearing Denny do the same behind her.

"Lieutenant, Sergeant," he greeted coolly. "Don't try and find Fullmetal. That's a direct order."

"What?" Maria was furious. She also seemed to be saying 'what' a lot today. "How can you ask us to do that? He's in our charge, and we have to protect-"

"Lieutenant," Roy said, his voice like a snapping whip. "Right now, you two could cause more harm than good. Edward stumbled onto something he shouldn't have."

"You mean like Lieutenant Hawkeye, sir?" Denny asked hesitantly.

Roy paused. "I don't know what you mean."

"Understood," Maria saluted sharply. "But... sir... will Edward and Alphonse be harmed? I just... I don't want anything to happen to the Elrics when we're not here to protect them."

Roy shook his head slowly. "I don't know... I just don't know."

_End Part Five_

**A/N: I have officially decided that Maria/Denny is the most complicated pairing to write. I'm working on _Part Eight_ right now, and they're causing nothing but trouble, mainly because they keep jumping out of character. Grr...**

**Anyway, thanks to 'whateverman' who reviewed with the smiley-face idea. Thanks!**


	6. Power of Brothers

**A/N:I assumed that if the Military had a hand-signal code, Ed would only know some of it, since as a State Alchemist he didn't go through any kind of academy or special training in the Military.**

**And about Mae'var's eyes... I don't know if that is possible, but it's pretty flippin' cool! (At least I think so...)**

Riza sat on her thin cot of a bed, rocking back and forth, the cot creaking with the movement. She didn't know what Alphonse was doing, sitting in the corner; she didn't think he needed sleep. Was he meditating, perhaps?

She silently stood and padded to the door with all the powerful grace of a hunting cat.

"Where are you going?" Apparently not asleep, Al's eyes focused on her.

"I'm going to get your brother out of here."

"Let me do it," he pleaded. "I have a plan and everything."

"What is your plan?"

"Well, first off, they don't know I'm alive... and supposedly, neither do you. I get Brother out, and you have less risk of having your cover exposed.

"Besides... he's my brother," Alphonse finished quietly.

She looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "You're a smart boy, Alphonse. Thank you."

He stood and clunked to the door. "You may want to call in the alarm that I'm missing in about fifteen minutes so they don't get suspicious."

"Will you be out by then?"

"Trust me." Alphonse opened the door and left.

-xXx-

Alphonse may have been considered the more innocent of the two brothers, but he was willing to do whatever he had to to get Edward back. "Where are you keeping him?" he demanded, holding up a young man by the collar.

Proving that he had the worst luck in the world, Johnny pounded futilely against Al's armored arm. "I don't know what you're talking about," he gasped.

"The Fullmetal Alchemist," Alphonse said dangerously. "Where are you keeping him?"

"I can't tell you tha- aaaah!" Johnny wailed as Alphonse used his free hand to poke his recent bullet wound, holding his thumb and forefinger against it until it began to bleed. "Alright!" he gasped. "Alright, let me down, please!"

Alphonse lowered Johnny to the ground and listened as he gave directions to where they were holding Edward. "I'm sorry," Al whispered, then ran in the direction he had been told. He didn't enjoy causing pain to others, but he didn't have time to search through this seemingly endless labyrinth. _Desperate times call for desperate measures_.

He shoved open a steel door. "Brother!" he cried.

Edward was hanging limply from the wall with his hands chained above his head. His body was covered in cuts and abrasions, but he didn't look to be seriously injured. "Alphonse...?" he whispered, lifting his head a little.

"What the-!" someone shouted, and machine gun fire filled the air.

"Not this again," Al groaned as bullets ricocheted of his armor. He ran over and shielded his brother's body with his own, hastily drawing a transmutation circle on the chains holding him up. With a blue flash they shattered, and he caught Ed as he fell to the ground.

"Thanks... Al," Ed gasped. He clapped his hands together and formed a wall out of the stone floor to protect them from the criminals. "Let's get out of here."

Working together, they used alchemy to deconstruct a hole in the wall where Edward had been hanging. The two brothers were stopped by the sound of several guns being cocked directly in front of them. "Dammit!" Ed hissed as the smoke cleared and a squad of men and one woman- Hawkeye- held weapons ready on them.

Alphonse put his hands up in his fighting form, prepared to defend his weakened brother. One man stepped out from the ring. He had a mop of dark brown hair and a wide grin. His eyes shone with a strange light. "So. State Alchemist Edward Elric. I suppose you used alchemy to make the armor move? Fascinating."

Edward said nothing.

"You know, I had entertained thoughts of allowing you to live, but now I see you're far to dangerous to be kept alive."

"Cliché," Edward commented smugly. "You need new lines, I've heard that before."

"Overused, yes, but true!" In one quick movement, the man drew a hand over both his eyes. Next thing the brothers saw was a giant shockwave rushing toward them.

"Aw, _hell!_" Ed shouted, diving out of the way and transmuting his arm into a blade.

"My name is Mae'var, and your deaths will elevate me even higher in the ranks!" He grinned maniacally and drew his hand over his eyes again.

"Shit!" _This is just like that woman in Youswell,_ Edward thought, rolling to dodge the next shockwave. _Lyra, or something. She liquefied the air and compressed its volume, causing the shockwave. But how is he-?_

"Brother, his eyes!" Alphonse shouted. "He has transmutation circles scratched onto his eyes!" Hawkeye had told him about this before he had left to attempt the rescue of his brother.

"That's cheating!" Edward exclaimed. _I can't exactly cut his eyes out, can I? Well, I _can_, but not quickly._ He took cover behind a pillar, feeling the compressed air start battering it to pieces.

Something caught his eye, and he looked to see Riza Hawkeye discreetly using Military hand signals. Seeing she had Ed's attention, she stated over. He wasn't particularly proficient in the hand code, but he could catch a few words. _Out_, she signed, twitching her head slightly to the right. Something _wall_ something something _sewer_ something _tunnel_.

Edward nodded to show he got the general idea, then yelled. "Al, we gotta go!" He made a mad dash for the wall Hawkeye had indicated, aware of her drawing her pistol and firing at them- purposefully missing, but not by much.

Bullets ricocheted off Al's armor as he ran to join his brother. Ed clapped his hands and deconstructed the wall, blowing a rough circle through the concrete. He found himself in the tunnel they had come in, ankle-deep in sewer water. As he and Alphonse sprinted toward the exit, they heard Mae'var shout; "Let them go!"

The two brothers ran into the bright sunlight and didn't stop until they came to an alley, Edward panting with his hands on his knees.

A man grabbed a hold of both their arms. Edward tried to jerk free, but the grip was as if of steel.

"Great," Fedora-man grumbled. "Now you've almost ruined everything. Let's go. I'm taking you to see Hughes."

_End Part Six _

**A/N: APOLOGIES TO ALL THE ED FANS! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!**

**Also, apologies to everyone else for the short chapter: it looked a lot longer in my notebook. I would have combined this with _Part Seven_, but a LOT happens in the next part, so... yeah. SORRY!**

**Apologies to my reviewers for not responding within a reasonable amount of time: I usually DO respond sooner, but I was busy this weekend. **

**Thanks to **_ise_ **and **_qwerty, _**my two anynomous reviewers!**

**So basically, apologies to everyone, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!**


	7. A Noose Is Drawn

**non-auther's note; my name is GreenEggsAndSam a.k.a. Winter Sharn **

**I'm jade's friend and it is totally my fault that this chapter is so late getting posted**

**Jade is in france right now and asked me to post this**

**I haven't because I've been at my uncle's house and then my aunt's house and then my grandmother's because of this dance camp I'm going to. 8:30- 5:00! so I'm very sorry about the late post and jade's gonna kill me when she gets back but… well, here's the chapter**

**Disclaimer: if either of us owned FMA we wouldn't be writing fanfiction, duh! **

**jade; and mustang would already be the..**

**winter; no no NO! first off, ed would be taller!**

**jade; so he'd finally reach 5 ft like you?**

**winter; I'm NOT short!**

**jade; (turns to readers) yes she is**

**winter; NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! **

**jade and Winter; you decide. is Winter short?**

**winter; and is Jade a SPAZZ?**

**jade; What? I am not! **

**A/N: I don't know if I said this before, but 'Rhade' is pronounced 'Rah-DAY'... it's an _Andromeda_ thing. :) And Wrazien is NOT a self insert, and NOT a Mary-Sue!**

**I am aware that chopsticks would most likely be used, but I can't work the damn things (I've tried... not a pretty sight), so I think I can get away with a _little_ Americanization, here! (Can one even USE chopsticks on ice cream?) Also, if any of my readers use the metric system and don't know how big a pint is... I can't help you; math is my worst subject! Sorry! I'm pretty sure it's smaller than a liter, if that helps... SORRY FOR MY AMERICANISM!**

**One more thing, then I'll shut up. I'll be leaving for Europe with the People to People Student Ambassadors program, and I'll be gone for about three weeks, so please don't get angry if I don't update... I severely doubt they'll set aside time for me to type up my fanfiction, so if you all could just be patient with me! Thanks!**

_"Idiots!"_ Maes stood, slamming his palms against his desk.

The Elric brothers looked down, not willing to meet his eyes, accusing behind the thin glasses.

"Thanks to you, Riza almost had her cover blown, _he_," Maes pointed to the Fedora-man, "was seen aiding a State Alchemist, who much will that damage his street reputation? _What are we going to do now, Elrics?_ The Organization is going to think I sent you, and what are you going to do if they come after _my daughter?_"

Silence.

"Elysia's _life_ is on the line, dammit! For once you need to think of someone besides your _own damn selves!"_

"Sir-" Alphonse started meekly.

"No. I don't want to hear it." Maes sat and put his head in his hands. "Out. All of you, get out."

Fedora-man saluted and left, Edward and Alphonse filing out silently behind him.

Maes sat there for a moment, then picked up the phone and dialed a number he knew by heart. "Gracia? It's me."

_"What is it?"_

"You remember what we talked about? Pack your things, and get Elysia going."

_"Where are we going?"_

"I'll have Investigations set up a safehouse; Roy will drive you there."

_"What happened?"_

"We had an... incident," Maes told his wife, choosing his words carefully. "I'm just worried about your safety."

_"Alright, Maes. What should I tell Elysia?"_

"Say you're going a trip or something, okay? Honey, I have to go now. _Promise_ me you'll get ready as soon as possible."

_"We will. I love you, Maes."_

"I love you to, Gracia."

The next call was to Mustang. "Roy, I need a favor..."

-xXx-

Riza sat alone in her quarters, cross-legged on her thin cot, practicing calming breathing techniques. She hated his assignment, hated it with every fiber of her being. This constant fear of discovery, always checking her words before she spoke was enough to make her want to grab her pistol and just shoot every damn member of this bloody Organization.

Before she had joined, she had assumed that there were some good people who were forced to crime by circumstance and didn't really _want_ this life.

She was wrong.

Everyone here was a cold-blooded killer. Apparently her test to get in was only the last part in a process that determined who got in and who didn't. Fedora-man had evidently smoothed that over for her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a hesitant knock at the door. Riza opened her eyes and exhaled. "Come," she said coolly, slipping into the personality she had fashioned for Lisa Rhade.

Johnny slowly opened the door. "Umm, Mae'var wants to see you," he said meekly. He was clutching his arm where she had shot him before- apparently he was nervous.

"Johnny, why are you a part of the Organization?" _Maybe _everyone_ isn't a killer._

"I murdered my parents and younger sister, then escaped from prison," he grinned. "Could never go back to honest work after that."

Riza re-evaluated her opinion of the young man. "I see."

"Why are you here?" Johnny asked boldly.

She fixed him with her most penetrating stare until he cringed and looked down. "I get paid well for death," she raised one eyebrow at his discomfort. "You were saying something about Mae'var?"

-xXx-

Mae'var was standing, examining a painting one of his men had stolen from an art museum with his back to the door when he heard it open. "Thank you, Johnny," he said without turning. "You may go." He heard the door swing shut, then turned. "Ah, Lisa, thank you for coming."

"Did I really have a choice?" the blonde retorted, with just barely enough fire in her voice to sound disrespectful.

He raised a hand as if to strike her for her insubordination, then smiled when she didn't flinch away. "You been asking around, I know you know of that incompetent man in Military Investigations. He must not have taken the hint, sending in the Fullmetal Alchemist like he did."

"The hint?" Lisa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He was poking his nose where it didn't belong, trying to shut us down. You know of this, correct? We sent him a... warning, as it were. Obviously he ignored it, so his daughter must be an example."

"What if the Fullmetal Alchemist was working independently, without knowledge of the repercussions?"

"That's a strange question, Lisa," Mae'var looked at her askance. "Everyone knows of his obsession with the Philosopher's Stone; he wouldn't have come here unless he was ordered to."

"Of course," Lisa nodded.

"I want you to do something for me."

She crossed her arms. "Oh?"

"The daughter- Elysia- and the man's wife, Gracia, are being moved to a safehouse by the Military. I must congratulate Hughes- he does know how to protect his family. The only person who knows the location of this safehouse is a friend of Hughes'. Perhaps you've heard of him; Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist? We intercepted a telephone call to him from Hughes earlier today- he knows the location, and we need this information.

"I want you to get the location from him. I don't care how you do it: you're a woman, you'll find a way, I'm sure."

Lisa flipped her hair back. "The Flame Colonel? I think I can handle him."

"Good. Do this for me, and once I move up in status for the capture of the daughter, I'd put in a recommendation to X... for your immediate promotion to _my_ status."

"That would be appreciated," she gave him a cool smile.

Mae'var waved a hand and turned around to study the painting. "Go. Once you have the information, report in immediately."

Lisa bowed slightly, and left.

_What an odd person you are, Lisa Rhade, _he thought. _Well, if you pull through, I shall reap the rewards._

-xXx-

Riza left, inwardly raging. _Damn you, Colonel! You couldn't have stayed in Eastern like a good boy, could you? Let me guess: you're making Havoc do your work, and he's making Breda do it, and Breda's making Fuery do it... great job, _sir.

Not far from Mae'var's door, she heard something drop to the ground behind her. She twisted around, hand in her jacket ready to draw her pistol.

"Easy, Rhade," said the man who had just dropped from above. It was the man she had had the conversation with directly after her test- the small, soft-spoken one.

"What do you want?" she demanded.

"Do you really want to stay as Mae'var's lapdog?" he asked, taking her arm and guiding her down a dimly lit corridor.

"Aren't you one of his 'lapdogs'?"

"No. The name's Jade, and I work directly for X. Turns out that X believes Mae'var is no longer necessary... you get the information from the Colonel, and I'll take you straight to the boss."

"Really?" Riza tapped her foot impatiently. "And what's the catch?"

"There is no catch."

"There's _always_ a catch," she looked down at the smaller man.

"Well, you'll owe me one," Jade said with an almost invisible smile. "But let's just say I have no love for Mae'var."

She nodded and returned the smile. "I'll see what I can do for you."

Jade walked away further down the corridor, disappearing into the shadows; Riza turned and began walking back the way she had come.

_Now I have options, _Riza thought. _Option one: stick with the demon I know, Mae'var. Option two: betray Mae'var and work with Jade._

_Jade offers a route to X. My mission is to determine X's identity, but will that be enough? Someone like Mae'var could take over the Organization and make it twice as ruthless. No, somehow we must destroy the entire system, obliterate it so completely that criminals can never band together in large city-wide groups again._

She shook her head as she came to the door to her quarters. _Impossible. There will always be crime. But the Organization... their days are numbered._

-xXx-

"Second Lieutenant Samantha Wrazien, reporting for duty," she snapped a crisp salute.

Samantha Wrazien was slight, with short-trimmed brown hair in accordance to Military regulation. She was about Fuery's height.

"At ease, Lieutenant," Jean said, leaning back in the chair, careful not to tip it to far in fear of another spectacular fall. "This is Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda, and Master Sergeant Kain Fuery," he indicated each with the pen in his hand. "I'm Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc. When he returns from leave, you'll be under the command of Colonel Roy Mustang, but for now, I'm in charge.

"Now, we are going to have to ask you some questions," Jean continued in all seriousness. "Just to make sure."

"Umm, sure of what, sir?" Samantha looked confused.

"First question. Who did you piss off to get sent to this middle-of-nowhere post in Eastern?" Heymans asked, crossing his arms and looking at her suspiciously.

"No one, sir."

"Hmm. And what are your views on _paperwork_?" Jean asked, spitting out the word. "Tell us honestly now, Lieutenant."

"I hate it with the burning fury of a thousand suns... sir!" she added quickly.

"Are you willing to disobey orders from the top if your commanding officer countermands them?" Heymans asked.

"That would depend on the orders, sir."

"Do you like dogs?" Kain looked at her forlornly.

"Of course, sir! Who doesn't!"

"Me," Haymans responded quietly, sulking.

Jean nodded to Samantha. "Lieutenant, if you could wait outside for a moment?"

Samantha saluted and left to stand outside the office door, closing it behind her.

"She's hot," was the first thing Havoc said.

Breda sighed. "I think she'll do, regardless of her appearance."

"All in favor?" It's not as if they really had a _choice_, but it made them feel like they were more in control.

"Aye," Heymans and Kain said, Fuery shaking his head at the ridiculousness.

"Lieutenant Wrazien?" Kain let her back in.

"We've decided unanimously to allow you into our circle. This is a very exclusive group of officers-"

Kain covered his eyes with his hand, shaking his head at Jean's continued arrogance. "Should we get to work, sir?" he requested, knowing that Havoc could go on all day.

Jean pouted like a small child being told that he couldn't go play outside. "Alright, Fuery. Dismissed. Wrazien, you'll use that desk," he pointed to the desk that had been Hawkeye's, feeling a slight pang like he was betraying a friend by giving her Riza's desk.

-xXx-

Riza sat on a park bench staring straight ahead with her hands on her lap, having given her report to the Fedora-man. "And therefore, I will need time alone with Mustang. I need a false location-"

"No."

"Excuse me?" she looked at him incredulously.

"They'll send someone to check out the location before you get anywhere close to X."

"Well, I can't give them the real location..." Riza trailed off at the look on the man's face.

Fedora-man said nothing.

"You want me to give them Elysia!"

"We've analyzed their previous actions, they've never killed children before. We're expecting a kidnapping, a ransom demand, and her safe release."

"_We?_ You mean Hughes knows about this?"

"No. He doesn't. In this business, sometimes it's better that the brass be kept in the dark," he answered bluntly. "Hughes would never go along with this plan-"

"I don't blame him!"

"If she were in danger of being killed than we would act differently-"

_"What about Gracia?"_ she demanded desperately.

There was a small pause. "Stay out in the open. I'll contact you with somewhere to meet Mustang." Fedora-man got up and left, hands in his pants pockets.

Riza wanted to cry in frustration. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but she couldn't let them fall. The Organization was watching. Every movement had to be measured so no questions would be asked.

-xXx-

"Edward, sir?" Maria Ross asked. She and Denny were walking with the Elric brothers to the quarters the two had been given within HQ. "If I may ask... why happened to you?"

"Yeah, you have a lot of bruises," Denny added, pointing out the obvious as usual.

Edward shook his head. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

"With respect, it doesn't look like nothing," Maria reached out to touch a dark bruise on his left shoulder.

"Ow!" he knocked her hand away. "I told you, it's nothing."

She sighed and exchanged a glance with Bloch.

Alphonse caught the look. "What?" he asked.

"You _can_ trust us to help you whenever we're able," Maria said softly. "You two don't have to do everything on your own."

There was silence, broken only by the sound of Al's clanking footsteps and the sharp clicking of the State-issued boots against the floor.

"They wanted to know who sent me," Edward said finally. "Apparently they didn't believe that I was investigating on my own, and well... they were a little forceful in the asking," he added with a small laugh, rubbing his shoulder.

"You should rest," Maria said kindly when they stopped outside the door to the room the brothers shared.

Ed stifled a yawn. "But we have work to-"

"It can wait until morning," she cut him off. "Really, Edward, Alphonse- rest. You look like you need it." On impulse, she stepped forward and gave Ed an awkward hug, then turned to Al and did the same. Flushing slightly, she saluted and began walking down the hall the way they had come.

"What was that about?" Edward asked, getting only a shrug from Denny in response before he closed the door.

Denny was left standing alone. "Lieutenant Ross!" he called, jogging after her.

She stopped and turned. "What is it, Bloch?"

"I would have thought you'd want to stand guard outside Fullmetal's quarters after what happened today," he said, catching up with her.

Maria smiled and shook her head. "They're in a Military building, our presence won't do much. Besides... I have somewhere to be."

"Date?"

She blushed. "Yes."

"Oh." Denny sounded crestfallen. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Apparently not seeing his discomfort, Maria grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bloch."

"Yeah. I guess," his shoulders slumped.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. I'm going to get something to eat in the mess hall," Denny said abruptly. He walked away and offered a half-hearted wave over his shoulder. "See you tomorrow, Lieutenant."

Maria looked after him thoughtfully, then headed toward the dorms to change her clothes.

-xXx-

_You waited too long, you idiot, _Denny thought morosely. _You should have asked her long before this, and now someone's gone and snatched her away._ He gave a great, gloomy sigh and jabbed a fork into his noodles, but he wasn't hungry.

He didn't know how long he had been sitting there without taking a single bite. The mess hall had emptied out of any other personnel when he heard a female voice arguing at the counter. "Do you have any ice cream? Chocolate, please. No, I don't want the little cup! Just give me the damn pint, would you? Are you _stupid_- would I have asked for it if I didn't want it? Thanks."

Denny looked up curiously, wondering who gets a pint of ice cream from the Military cafeteria to see Maria Ross take the last seat at the table in the corner and pry open a container of ice cream. She jabbed her spoon into it in much the same way Denny had attacked his noodles earlier and listlessly took a bite.

He looked down at his dinner. Deciding he was never going to eat it, he got up to throw it away. The garbage can was near where Maria was sitting, and he stopped there on his way out. "Lieutenant?" he asked tentatively.

"Go away, Sergeant," she said roughly. "Just leave me alone."

"But-"

"Please, Bloch!" Maria looked up at him pleadingly. She was wearing a low-cut, dark red camisole with a cream-colored jacket and matching skirt. "I just want to be alone," she added quietly, looking down into her ice cream.

"Okay," Denny said softly, putting his hand gently on her shoulder. "You know where I'll be if you want someone to talk to." He offered her a small smile and left the cafeteria, and Maria.

_Stupid!_ he mentally berated himself as he pulled off his Military jacket, revealing a tight black t-shirt and laying on his bed in his quarters in the barracks. _You should have stayed with her!_ With that thought in mind, he stood and walked to the door. Yanking it open, he found himself face-to-face with Maria Ross, whose hand was raised to knock.

"Um," she said, looking down.

"Come in," he said, surprised that she had taken him up on his offer.

Maria looked around hesitantly as she stepped inside. "I'm sorry, but you said-"

"I meant what I said. If you want to talk, I'll listen."

She smiled sadly at him. "Thanks, Denny. You're a good friend."

"Here, sit down," he hurriedly shoved dirty clothes off the bed to clear a space, sitting down next to her.

"You're sure you want to listen to me?" Maria was twisting the material of her skirt without looking at him.

Denny nodded, and she sighed. "My boyfriend- a civilian, you wouldn't know him- and I have been dating for eight months to the day. We had a... serious relationship."

"How serious?"

"Serious," she admitted, not meeting his eyes and smoothing her skirt, and Denny didn't have to ask to know that she'd slept with him. She took a breath and continued.

"Tonight was supposed to be special. I hadn't seen him for almost two weeks- we've been so busy here, what with the Elrics and all- so Erik made reservations at a fancy restaurant. I waited at the table for nearly an hour."

"That bastard stood you up?" Denny demanded, furious with this _Erik_ who obviously didn't appreciate her.

Maria waved a hand to silence him. "No. He was there... just not with me. Erik was with some hot blonde who looked like she was just out of high school," she said bitterly, angrily twisting the fabric again. "When he saw me storm out, he came after me and caught up with me on the bridge over the stream in the park.

"I asked how long he had been cheating on me. He said since we had... you know." Her voice broke and she stared down at her hands, clasped together in her lap and trembling. "He said... he said..." she pressed her palms against her eyes in a vain effort to stem the tears leaking through her fingers. "That he'd gotten what he wanted from me, and I... wasn't good enough," she whispered.

Denny tentatively wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She flinched away, then buried her face in his chest, sobbing. He was rather at a loss as what to do... he had never seen her like this before. Lieutenant Maria Ross was always the strong one compared to him. He stroked her hair gently and kissed the top of her head.

"I'll kill him, Maria" he swore darkly. "I'll kill anyone who hurts you."

Her shoulders shook from crying, and she didn't answer. Eventually she fell asleep on his shoulder. Denny slowly lowered her to the bed and laid next to her, holding her tight in his arms, vowing to protect her. He brushed her hair away from one of her ears and whispered; "I love you, Maria."

He fell asleep there in his clothes, not wanting to change for fear of waking her.

_End Part Seven_

**A/N: I tried to keep everyone as in-character as possible during this... like I said before, I'll be away for three weeks, so apologies for no updates... which is why this part is so freakin' LONG (13 typed pages, which isn't much for most people, but it is for me...) I hope you liked it, and see you all in three weeks! Please review!**

**Jade Rhade **

And that's it for what I would like you to upload, so yeah. Thanks again!

3 _Taisa_ Jade Rhade

hey hey hey

plz feel free to mention me (Winter Sharn) in your review whether it's to yell at me or pity me since Jade will have the yelling covered!

lol I love reading reviews because I'm weird and have no life lol

Winter Sharn


	8. Rakshasha

**A/N: I'm baaaaack! If there are any questions about the timeframe, the opening scenes take place around the time of Maria's date. The ball itself would be taking place when she's talking to Denny. Just to clear up any misunderstandings! **

**Oh, just one other thing... one of my best friends, _GreenEggsandSam_, a.k.a. _Winter_ choreographed the dance for me, as my dancing skills are limited to hip-hop and rock, not ballroom. She is an amazing dancer (ballet, jazz, and modern) so she designed this for me. **

**I lied; I have one more thing... okay, maybe more than one... First, I am not sure of the Fuhrer's eye color; I'm simply making a semi-educated guess. Also, a lot of this chapter is pure fluff, and some of it is actually important stuff disguised as fluff, so... yeah.**

**-Jade**

"What do you think of the new chick?" A group of men belonging to the Organization sat playing cards at a table in a smoke-filled bar. "Lisa Something."

"Oh, you mean Rhade? She's a babe," one said. "Ah, hell. I fold." He tossed his hand on the table, revealing a pair of twos.

"She's Mae'var's bitch, though, ain't she?" Another threw three chips into the growing pile in the center of the table.

"I don't know," said the first man who had spoken, tapping the ash from his cigar onto the floor. "She's got that _look_, ya know? The look of a killer." He glanced at his hand and matched the three chips previously thrown in, then added another five.

"Don't we all?" one said with a laugh. He looked at his cards, then at the pot. "Damn. I fold." A pair of fours.

Two sevens joined the other folded cards as another spoke. "Yeah. I've never heard of her, though... you'd think she was new to this business."

"Too steep for me," more cards joined the others on the table. "She can't be a newbie, though- have you seen the way she shoots?" he held out one had as a mock gun. "Bang, bullseye every time.

The first man nodded. "I almost feel bad for that sucker who's got the info we need." He looked at his cards again. "You all fold?"

They nodded.

He tossed his cards on the table, and the others cursed. "Joker, high."

-xXx-

Little did the card-playing criminals know, the woman the were speaking of was in a booth near the back of the same bar, not too far away from where they were sitting.

"There's a Military ball tonight," Fedora-man said softly, leaning across the dirty table to make himself heard over the general noise.

"And how am I supposed to get in?" Riza asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "This is rather short notice for me to get into a ball."

"I put your name- your _real_ name- on the guest list, as well as Mustang's. Just get someone in the Organization to forge you identification papers so they don't get suspicious." He smiled. "Now you'll finally be able to wear that pretty dress."

"How do you know what's in my closet?" she demanded.

Fedora-man chuckled. "The Organization's not the only one keeping tabs on you. It's for your own protection," he added quickly at the irate look on her face. "Now, the Organization's knowledge of any Military officers outside of Central is rather limited, so odds are they won't know that the Riza Hawkeye they are forging the papers for actually works under Mustang. Here's what you're going to do..."

-xXx-

The private at the door of the Fuhrer's mansion grinned. "What Colonel, no date?"

Apparently he was known by sight, usually for whatever woman he had hanging off his arm on any particular night. Roy grinned back. "No, no date... not _yet_, anyway."

"Papers, sir?" the black-uniformed private extended his hand. "Just a formality, of course."

"Of course," Roy agreed, pulling his identification papers out of his jacket pocket and handing them to the man. "It's unusually crowded tonight," he said, glancing at all the cars parked outside and the people already inside.

"Yeah." The private gave the papers a cursory look, then handed them back. "The Fuhrer's supposed to show up later, and everyone who wants a promotion managed to get their name on the list."

"Ya don't say," Roy mused, eyebrow raising. _That's handy. Talk to Hawkeye and garner some support from higher-ups. Two chimeras with one strike._

The private opened the door. "Go on in, sir."

-xXx-

"And therefore, I believe that the taxes should be..." Roy was politely feigning interest in what the fat bureaucrat was droning on and on about when the servant rang his bell.

_I hate the Fuhrer's adherence to the old customs,_ Roy complained to himself. _This is 1914... you don't need to announce whenever someone comes in._

"Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye," the servant announced, sounding just as bored as Roy was.

His head jerked up to see Riza walking down the stairs, wearing a long, sleeveless red gown that shimmered softly with every movement. Her blonde hair was drawn up into a tight bun, and her dress was low-cut enough to show some cleavage. Her eyes met his for the briefest of moments, then she pretended that she hadn't seen him.

"Excuse me for a moment," Roy said quickly, inclining his head slightly and making his way toward the former Lieutenant.

The bureaucrat's wife took her husband's arm. "So that's the Flame Alchemist? He seems like a nice young man."

"Hmph." The bureaucrat spotted his next victim. "Ah, Lieutenant General, might I have a moment of your time...?"

Roy made his way slowly but deliberately across the crowded room toward her. "Hawkeye?" he managed to choke out, trying his hardest to keep his eyes from roving across her body in a way that would have gotten him slapped.

"So this is the famous Mustang charm?" Riza said sarcastically but softly so they couldn't be overheard. "Frankly, sir, I'm not impressed." She quirked an eyebrow at his disbelieving expression.

Roy flashed her his trademark smirk and brought her hand to his lips. "So, you want the Mustang charm?" He used his grip on her hand to pull her into the center of the dance floor. "Do you know the _Rakshasha_?"

She gave him an _oh-please_ look and walked over to the Military band. "Can you play the _Rakshasha_?" she asked the conductor.

The tuxedoed man blinked down at her. "If you think you can dance to it, miss."

"Oh, I can dance to it," she promised him before walking back to Roy.

"Attention everyone!" the conductor said into his microphone. "Please clear the floor for Colonel Roy Mustang and his stunning partner Riza Hawkeye as they dance the _Rakshasha!_"

"Last chance to back out before you embarrass yourself, sir," Riza whispered.

"Not on your life," he grinned. "You'll be surprised."

The _Rakshasha_ was a difficult, fast-paced dance from the south that was little known and rarely attempted. It wasn't exactly something one could improvise or learn overnight. Neither of the two dancers had done it in years, and despite his boasts, Roy hoped he could still do it after all this time.

The assorted Military personnel stood in a ring around the dance floor, some with drinks in their hands as the opening notes of the music were played, the deceptively slow drumbeats filling the room. The two dancers took their positions opposite each other, Riza with her hands stretched high above her head, waiting for Roy to start.

And start he did.

Roy snapped the fingers of his left hand in time with the beat, belatedly wishing that he had put his gloves on- now _that_ would have been a cool effect. He brought his left leg forward, back, to the side, and back again, lightly tapping his foot against the ground with each movement as the speed of the beats increased, building into the main theme. And- _there_, that was his cue. He pushed off the ground with his right foot, spinning three times to land on one knee in the center of the floor.

Riza smiled slyly and spun twice, dress swirling around her. Midway through the second turn she felt her ankle wobble in her high heels and she almost fell, but she was close enough and Roy caught her and tipped her back until she stared straight up at the chandelier above.

"I never knew you could dance, Colonel," Riza said when he flipped her upright again and the music reached a slower tempo.

Roy smirked. "Well, Riza, I never thought I'd see you in red lacy underwear-" he held her close as the dance demanded.

She gasped, eyes flicking up to meet his. "You could see-?"

He blinked. "I made that up... are you really?" his smirk widened.

The music began moving faster again, and right on cue he flipped her up and over his head.

Riza landed lightly with some surprise- she had never been lifted that easily before. Roy pivoted to face her as she landed, and as he took her hand and spun her he felt her long blonde hair falling out of its neat bun and spilling down her shoulders.

Once she'd stopped spinning, Riza threw her arms around his neck as he grabbed her legs and tilted her backward. She let go and let the backs of her hands caress the floor; the only thing keeping her head from smacking against the floor was his strong grip.

Roy was definitely enjoying himself as her brought her into a standing position. Riza began to grind against him as they moved around the floor. As they hear the last strands of the _Rakshasha_ being played, the Lieutenant and the Colonel spun in three dizzying circles each. The music came to the finale, and with the last drumbeats Riza leapt onto his shoulder. They held the pose until the last echoes of the drums faded away.

He lowered her gently to the ground as their audience applauded, pushing his slightly sweaty black hair away from his face. "Well, Riza," he started.

"Fuhrer, three o'clock," she hissed, and Roy straightened. _She knows me too well,_ he thought as he turned around, sliding his arm around her waist.

"That was very well done," Fuhrer King Bradley complimented them. "It's been a long time since I've seen a well-done _Rakshasha_."

"Thank you, Fuhrer, I am honored," Roy said with a bow. Since she was no longer technically part of the Military, Riza simply inclined her head politely.

"But Lieutenant Hawkeye," Bradley continued. "I was deeply disappointed to hear of your resignation from Military service... does your appearance here mean that I was given false information?" His one light green eye stared penetratingly into her dark brown. Roy's eyes narrowed for a moment, but he regained control and continued standing impassively.

"No sir, you heard correctly," Riza replied, meeting his gaze unflinchingly. "I am only here because of the Colonel."

"Ah, I see," Bradley nodded. "I am sorry to hear that, Miss Hawkeye; you were a talented officer."

"Thank you, sir," Roy felt her straighten reflexively with the praise.

"And you, Colonel Mustang; even though your name was on the list, I hardly expected you to journey all the way here from Eastern. Surely you have business to take care of in East HQ?" His tone remained friendly, but Roy detected something in his bearing.

_Why so many questions? What do you know?_ Roy kept his suspicion off his face, but knew his questions could still be seen in his jet black eyes. "Nothing more important than my business in Central, sir."

"Oh? And what business is that, Colonel Mustang?" His tone again remained even, but Roy could definitely see the Fuhrer's eye harden.

_What are you getting at?_ "No business that would concern the Fuhrer," Roy responded.

"I should hope not," Bradley smiled. "Well, I have other guests to attend to, so if you two will excuse me, I'll take my leave."

"Sir." Roy saluted again as the Fuhrer walked away.

"What was that about, sir?" Riza asked softly.

He shook his head slowly, a thoughtful gleam in his eyes. "I'm not sure." Roy looked up with a grin. "Well, no matter. Come on," he used his arm around her waist to guide her to the punch table. "You can tell me where the Ice Queen learned to dance."

She shook her head and offered a small smile. "My grandfather taught me, sir."

"Call me Roy."

"Very well then... _Roy_," she let his name slide off her tongue, eyebrow raising.

The Colonel didn't notice the look of fleeting despair that flashed across her face for the briefest of seconds. _This won't last, Riza_, she found herself thinking. _You know how he is. Don't get your hopes up. This is all an act that will disappear once this undercover mission is completed._

Roy looked down and saw her thinking. "What?" he asked, grin faltering.

"Nothing," Riza shook her head briskly. Something caught her eye, and she turned to look. "_Jade_," she hissed suddenly, drawing closer to Mustang.

"What is it?" Roy scanned the crowd.

"_No_, sir, don't draw attention to us," she all but begged. "His name's Jade, he's with the Organization. He's here to make sure I fulfill my mission."

"Which is? Your contact hinted, but-"

"I need the location of the safehouse where Elysia is being kept," she couldn't meet his eyes.

_And that's the only reason she's doing this, Roy,_ ran traitorously through his mind. _This is an act to get information, nothing more_. His face remained impassive. "I see."

"We should leave. _Please_, Roy?" she looked up at him pleadingly.

"Alright. Where are we going, exactly?"

Riza hesitated. "My apartment. I've already scanned it for listening devices, so right now it's the safest place. Come on," she grabbed his hand and led him through the crowd.

Roy put up no resistance to her gently tugging grasp. _Is this all acting?_ he wondered. _Or is this..._

_End Part Eight_

**A/N: I lied... most of the fluff was taken out of this chapter when I typed it, because there was fluff to the amount where it was hazardous to small children and could cause choking, so... yeah. Sorry! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and the next part may take time in coming because it is entirely Roy/Riza, and I'm not very good at romantic-y-ness, so... SORRY IN ADVANCE!**

**Haha, and now I begin to tie in the seemingly pointless Hakuro visit... teehee!**

**Please review?**


	9. Unattainable Dreams

**A/N: I just wanted to take the opportunity here before I forgot to thank everyone who has me either on story alert or favorite stories, whom I have not spoken to since they haven't left reviews, so this is my giant thank-you to everyone who faved/alerted, whether you reviewed or not!**

**_Alerts (In alphabetical order): Alasse Fefalas, Anicka, darkravenrain, don'tbreakme, Fei Ku, FLAMETAL, Kusagi, loyalsoul, MoonStarDutchess, MustangsGirl, Perennial Rhinitis, saponin, Seiftis, Shadow Dreamer 27, SnakeCharmerFoxx, TheFerryman'sDaughter, theslayerslayer, White Paper Fan_**

_**Favs (In alphabetical order): Alasse Fefalas, darkravenrain, Fei Ku, FLAMETAL, i AM the Random Idiot, Kusagi, loyalsoul, mangamaniac, Miss Mustang, MoonStarDutchess, Shadow Dreamer 27**_

**HUGS AND CHOCOLATE TO ALL OF YOU, AND TO MY ANONYMOUS REVIEWERS! I've already thanked all my signed reviewers personally, so... ANYWAY! ON TO THE ROY/RIZA-ness!**

**OH! A note about the Roy/Riza-ness... I personally am a HUGE fan of Royai, but too much Royai ends with both Roy and Riza completely out of character. My definition of Royai is any Roy/Riza situation that shows Roy as being the more emotional and weaker half of the relationship. Therefore, there is little-to-no Royai. Sorry Royai fans!**

**Note: '_Braha_' is Riza's nickname for Black Hayate for anyone who didn't know (according to my _FMA: Profiles_ book at least!). I have it in italics because I _think_ it's a Japanese word, and anything that is directly Japanese I put in italics (ex. _Taisa, Hagaren_, etc.) Someone please tell me if that's wrong!**

"I'll take your coat," Riza said, holding out her hand to take it.

Roy stomped his boots against the mat outside the door of her apartment in an effort to get the water out. They had barely left the ball when it had started to pour with no signs of stopping. He brushed water from his heavy black trenchcoat. "I hate the rain," he muttered glumly, half-heartedly trying to blow his wet hair out of his eyes.

"You're such a baby," Riza shook her head and pulled the sopping jacket from his shoulders. "Hit the lights, will you?" she called from the bathroom as she hung the coat over the shower to give the water a place to drip. "The switch is by the door."

"I think the power's out," he called back. Twin _thunks_ accompanied his words- Roy kicking off his shoes to keep from tracking water and mud everywhere.

Riza hung her dripping crimson wrap over the shower next to his coat, then exited the bathroom to be greeted by a spray of water across her face. "Roy," she grated out, slowly raising a hand and flinging water droplets. "You are acting like my _Braha_."

Roy smiled guiltily and stopped shaking his head to get the water out of his hair. "Sorry."

She shook her head again at his boyishness. "Try the lights again."

He flipped the switch on, off, then on again to no visible result.

Riza sighed. "Do you have your gloves with you?"

Roy gave her a look such as if she had asked whether he was a dog person- obvious yes.

"Will you be able to control a flame so I can see where I'm going? I know there are candles somewhere in this apartment."

This look suggested that she had just asked if he would rather females wear miniskirts instead of Military uniform. "Of course. I am, after all, the Flame Alchemist." He flashed her a winning smile.

"If that's supposed to send me swooning into your arms like every other woman, it is not going to work."

Roy's smile disappeared. Her voice had remained cool and even, but it was tinged with the barest hint of bitterness. It would have been impossible for most to detect, but he, who spent more hours in the day with her than anyone else, could tell when something was bothering her. "Riza... what is it?"

"What is what, s-" she had to cut off the reflexive 'sir' at the end of her question, "Roy?" One slim eyebrow rose in what could be interpreted as a challenge.

He sighed in defeat. "Nothing. Never mind." Roy pulled his gloves out of an inside pocket where they had miraculously escaped the wet. He put them on and snapped, conjuring a small globe of fire that filled the apartment with flickering light. "Let's find those candles."

-xXx-

Once the apartment was lit, Roy sat across from Riza at the kitchen table. The flickering candlelight filled the apartment with a warm, friendly glow. "Romantic," he whispered under his breath.

His former Lieutenant looked up from cleaning her pistol. "Hm?"

"Nothing." He fidgeted a bit in his chair.

"What is it, Roy?" Turning his earlier question against him, Riza didn't look up from cleaning the firearm.

"If your apartment is under surveillance by the Organization like you say, won't they find it suspicious that you're cleaning your gun right in front of me?"

She set the cleaning brush down on the already oily cloth and wiped the weapon down with another. Once any traces of excess oil had been removed, she began to reassemble the pistol. "Not at all. In my supposedly fake identity as First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, I would be expected to own a firearm." She sighted along the barrel and squeezed the trigger gently. The hammer fell with a satisfying _click_, and Riza appeared satisfied. She set the pistol on the table and looked at Roy. "This is not what you were expecting when I said we were going to my apartment, is it?" She stared evenly at him as though daring him to dispute her words.

Roy didn't attempt to lie to her. "No, it's not." He checked his sigh.

She stood and circled the table and came around next to him, draping her arms across his shoulders. "You were expecting something like this," she whispered in his ear, stroking the side of his face.

The kiss came with such an abrupt suddenness that he almost pulled away reflexively before stopping himself and returning the kiss hungrily, tongue gently probing for access to her mouth. He felt a rush like nothing he had ever felt before when he kissed other women, surrendering to this enigma that was Riza Hawkeye.

And then it was over. Riza jerked away, both gasping for breath from the encounter. "I hope you enjoyed that, Colonel," she whispered. "Because it will never happen again."

Roy was left sitting in the kitchen alone as Riza fled into the bedroom, slamming the door and locking it.

-xXx-

Riza laid flat on her back, doing nothing to stem the tears streaming down the sides of her face and soaking into her hair, spread out in a fan across the covers. _This isn't right_, kept running through her mind.

A long time ago, in Ishbal, she had finally admitted to herself that she was in love with her commanding officer. Major Roy Mustang- young, handsome, possessed of such an incredible charisma... and he was vulnerable. She knew his actions during the War haunted him, but he pushed on, regardless.

_I'm going after Military command, so there will never be another Ishbal. The two stood at a train station, hearing the whistle blow and the conductor shout. Roy's onyx eyes searched her face. "Will you help me?"_

_Riza met his gaze unflinchingly. "I will."_

If she had known the what she knew now about this man, she would still make the same choice- to follow him until death, and to sacrifice her own life if it would save his. But she was only teasing, cruelly teasing- something she wanted, but could never allow herself to have.

A relationship with her commanding officer.

A purely passionate relationship with Roy Mustang.

It was an unattainable dream that with one kiss seemed only a step away... but it was something that was denied to her. She had two choices: leave the Military and pursue her own selfish desires, or stay and protect the man she loved.

Really, there was no choice.

Which is why she laid there, crying from despair and loneliness and frustration. She heard Roy knock on the door. "Riza?" he asked softly.

Riza angrily fisted her tears away, cursing her own weakness. "I'm getting changed," she answered, trying to make her voice sound normal and hoping he couldn't hear the difference. _This is your life, Riza_, she told herself bluntly. _You chose it- deal with it._

-xXx-

Roy paced back and forth between the living room and the kitchen, wondering what the hell he was going to say. He wanted Riza Hawkeye, more than she knew, and yet she was the one woman immune to his supposed charm. He had resigned himself to being only her friend, nothing more, but he could never keep a steady relationship with any other. The other women... none of them ignited the same burning passion deep within him that Riza did.

Yet despite all his efforts and wants, she was simply unattainable. He was her commanding officer... anything more than a purely _professional_ relationship would be frowned upon by the Military. Hawkeye would immediately find herself transferred from his command, and Roy didn't know if he could take that. One of the things that enabled him to come to the office every day was the promise of seeing her already at her desk, working on whatever paperwork he hadn't done the night before. When she had 'resigned', it was as if a huge hole had been torn in his soul. He had then realized that she could never possibly feel the way he did.

And then this kiss threw all his logic in the trash. Why did she have to do this to him? Offering a tantalizing taste of everything he wanted, only to snatch his fleeting hope away?

_What now, Roy Mustang?_ he asked himself, stopping his pacing to look at her locked door. Impulsively, he knocked on it. "Riza?"

"I'm getting changed," came the response through the door. _Her voice sounds odd,_ Roy noted. _Could she have been- no. Not Hawkeye._ He banished the thought of her crying. He crossed his arms and put a hand over his eyes, thinking, listening to the rain pelting against the building.

When Riza finally exited the safety of her room still wearing the red dress, the first words out of Roy's mouth were; "I'm sorry," he blurted out.

She looked at him tiredly. "What are you sorry for?"

"For whatever I did to upset you. I don't know what it is, yet, but-"

"No, Colonel, I acted out of line. You are my commanding officer, and I apologize for my improper actions." Riza's face was as if a mask of stone.

Roy winced at her use of his rank instead of his name, then sighed, nodding his head in defeat. "Of course." He changed the subject, raising an eyebrow to hide the ache he felt inside. "I thought you were changing," he noted.

She looked down at herself, then at him. "I lied."

Roy could have cut the sexual tension between them with a knife, and he vaguely wondered how she couldn't feel it in the air. Their silence stretched on for several long, uncomfortable seconds before it was broken by the sounds of a distant belltower beginning to toll midnight. A candle next to her flickered, and threw Riza's face into sharp relief. He narrowed his eyes and crossed the distance between them, seeing her tense.

He gently stroked his thumb against her cheek, feeling her shudder and look away. "You're crying," he stated softly, looking into her eyes.

Riza didn't bother to deny it, unable to meet his piercing gaze.

The bell rang its last note, signaling the beginning of a new day.

"Look at me," Roy commanded.

Almost against her will, her head lifted so she was staring into his deep ebony eyes.

"You are going to shoot me for this," he whispered, cupping her chin in his hand. "But I need to know." His lips gently brushed hers, sending an electric tingle through his body that threatened to explode through his fingertips. He lingered there a moment, waiting for his Lieutenant to pull back and slap him, but she didn't move. And then he couldn't control his body any longer, wrapping his arms around her and attacking her lips with an animal passion, fueled by the heat of her body against his, warm flesh against warm flesh. His weight forced them back against the wall, she ripping open his shirt, he pulling at the laces in the back of her dress.

"No!" Riza jerked her lips free, breathing heavily. "This isn't right," she gasped.

"Why?" His eyes burned fiercer than any flame he could command. "I don't _care_ about the Military's rules, I'm _sick_ of playing their game. Riza, look me in the eye and tell me you don't feel the same way!" the tone of his voice rose until he was nearly shouting, his face only centimeters away from hers.

"I do, Roy!" she yelled back. "But we can't!"

"What's to stop us? The Fuhrer? The Military? They don't need to know! We could keep it our-"

"Secret?" Riza finished quietly. "I don't know if I can do that. Constantly measuring our words, acting like there's nothing out of the ordinary? Could you do that, Roy?"

"If it meant having you- yes, I could!"

"But for how long? A week? A month? A year? It would come out, Roy- these things always do in the end. Our love," her voice hitched on that word, "would be a scandal, and you would forever lose your dream of becoming Fuhrer and leading this nation to a better future. I can't do that to you. I won't," she added, so softly it could barely be heard above the rain and his own breathing.

Riza's cold logic spoke of the truth, but-

"What we want isn't always what we're given," she said.

"But we are _given_ nothing- things must be _taken_," Roy countered.

"Then take me!" Inexplicably, sudden anger surged through her and she shoved him backward, opening her arms wide in invitation. "Take me, Roy, as you have with so many others!"

He stumbled backward in shock. "Riza-"

"I'll be another 'conquest' of the 'great Roy Mustang'," she continued, eyes flashing. "Another notch on your bedpost, another woman to simply fade into memory and be forgotten!"

"That's not it!" he protested, bewildered. "Riza..."

They stood across from each other, Riza panting for breath, glaring.

"Riza..." his tone was open, honest, his eyes wide. "I love you. I always have." Silence, broken only by the distant claps of thunder, and rain hammering against the windows, falling ever harder with each passing moment.

"Why are we fighting? This could possibly be our only night together; I am willing to give up my life for you... can you really think that fear of losing me _career_ will stop me?" He paused and looked down, shocked at his own words spilling out of his mouth, but every word was the truth. "If you don't want to be with me, I understand."

His eyes searched her face, and she felt her anger drain away, and she was back at the train station in Ishbal. _"I'm going after Military command. Will you help me?"_

His hand was extended toward her. Hesitatingly, she took it. "But-"

"No buts," he pulled her to him. "Just forget the consequences and be yourself. Just for tonight."

-xXx-

A young woman, bound and gagged, was thrown to the richly carpeted floor. "That's the girl ye be wantin'?"

Mae'var wrinkled his nose at the rough mercenary's smell. "If she isn't, I'll summon you. Go."

The mercenary shrugged, causing a small shower of dirt to fall on the ground from his clothes. "She fits the description you gave me, and was at the address you gave me. Whether it's her or not, I want to be paid."

"Of course you do. Johnny," Mae'var nodded to the young man standing next to him.

"Come with me," Johnny offered, opening the door and gesturing for the mercenary to exit.

Once the door was closed, Mae'var was left alone with the young woman. He grabbed her long, blonde hair by the ponytail and forced her terrified blue eyes to stare into his own, transmutation-inscribed orbs. "Welcome to my home, Miss _Rockbell_," he hissed.

_End Part Nine_

**A/N: The only thing I like about this chapter is the scene at the end- the rest is crap. However, I've been working on this part for five weeks, and I figure this is the best it's going to get. Sorry!**

**A note about the next part... I don't know how long it will be in coming: this is the last complete part I have prewritten in my notebook, so there may be some delay in uploading after this. Sorry!**

**And yes, that IS Winry... Let me make a few things clear: If you don't like angst, stop now. If you don't like betrayal, stop now. If you don't like Ed/Winry as a pairing, stop now. If you don't like Havoc/OC as a pairing, stop now. If I get any flames that I feel are unjustified that have to do with your dislike of any of the above mentioned things, I will eat them and send Barry the Chopper after you.**

**Okay, I'm done with my little rant now! Please review?**

**_Jade Rhade_**


	10. Having to Being

**A/N: Right, now I know that in the manga the word used is 'auto-mail' with a dash. Since this is an anime-verse fanfiction instead of a manga-verse, I'll be using the 'automail' spelling that we see on the sign outside Winry and Pinako's home in episode 17. If I'm wrong, please point that out so I can correct or clarify any mistakes.**

**Another note on spelling- in the manga Denny is referred to as 'Brosh', while in the American dub and credits he's referred to as 'Bloch' with no mention of a first name, and in the original Japanese anime he's 'Denny Brosh'. Once again, as this is an English anime-verse story, I've been using the 'Bloch' spelling but taking his Japanese first name because in the episodes I've seen, they haven't given us his first name. I do have a large blank spot in my anime knowledge, however, as I missed episodes 29-39, which is a rather significant portion.**

**Yet ANOTHER note on spelling- I noticed I've been using the manga spelling of 'Sheska', and for that I apologize. I'm not entirely sure as how to spell her name from the anime, and I think it's significantly different. Again, if anyone wants to correct me on this, feel free!**

**Another thing: I have finally been able to determine when this would take place- Episode 18, 'Marcoh's Notes', sometime during when Ed and Al are trying to break the code Marcoh encoded his journals in. I just wanted to point out what time this would have been taking place for anyone curious about the time frame. Thanks!**

**Back to the subject of automail... I really have no idea the technical terms that would be used, so whenever I need a technical term, I'm going to use _Star Wars_ terms that would be used to describe droids. Again, if anyone has more information they would like to share, please, don't hesitate to review, e-mail (the info is near the bottom of my profile), or private message me. Like I said in the first chapter, I have very little experience with writing _Fullmetal_ fiction, and have more experience with sci-fi writing. Thanks for your patience!**

**-JR**

Pinako Rockbell woke on the floor with a groan. She raised her hand to her head, feeling a massive bruise. "What the-" she started, then lurched to her feet. "Winry!" she exclaimed, swaying and almost falling from dizziness. "Damn."

She could hear Den whimpering pitifully from the kitchen. The elderly woman slowly made her way there to see her dog trying to hop toward her. He had to hobble because his automail leg had been smashed, and the servomotors whined with every movement. His beautiful black fur was matted with dried blood, and he was obviously in pain.

"Winry!" Pinako yelled frantically. "_Winry!_"

-xXx-

Edward Elric woke with a yawn, stretching his arms above his head. He could hear Alphonse speaking quietly with someone outside, and he reached for his jacket. He had one arm in the sleeve when he brother opened the door.

"Oh. You're awake," the massive suit of armor said.

"What is it?" Ed asked, stifling another yawn and narrowing his eyes as Al shifted suspiciously.

"Well, Granny called into HQ this morning-"

"How? She doesn't have any of the proper clearance."

"I don't know, Brother. But she says Winry's been kidnapped."

"What?"

"She's been kidnapped by someone with the Organization," said the communications officer that had been speaking with Al. "I answered her call. Ms. Rockbell said she tried to fight them off, but she was overpowered and to tell you immediately. Sir?" he asked as Ed brushed past him and started running down the hall. "Where are you going?"

Edward didn't answer. Abandoning his struggle with the jacket, he yanked it off and ran with it in his arms.

"Brother!" Alphonse called, catching up easily. "Where are we going?"

"Collecting Ross and Bloch, then we're going after Winry."

"But-" Al wasn't given the chance to talk as Ed found the door he was looking for. "Ross!" he shouted, pounding on the door. "Al, try Bloch's, I'm pretty sure it's that one," he pointed vaguely across the hall and resumed his pounding on the door. "Dammit, Lieutenant, where are you when I need you?"

Alphonse knocked on Denny's door with somewhat less force than Ed. "Sergeant Bloch?" he called. "Please get up, it's really important."

-xXx-

Maria Ross woke with Denny's face bare centimeters from her own. Sometime during the night she had rolled over and their bodies had ended up in rather awkward positions. She tried to pull away without waking her friend, but a still-sleeping Bloch murmured something and pulled her tighter. Maria cursed under her breath and stopped trying to extricate herself, choosing to wait until he woke up to try and move. She felt a slight pang of- guilt?- stab through her as she thought of Erik, but resolutely pushed him from her mind.

_It's over now,_ she said sternly to herself. _And you are better off on your own._ She sighed and closed her eyes, feeling her muscles relax into Denny's strong hold. Maria had just started to fall asleep when there was a commotion in the corridor outside. She groaned and tried to block out the noise of whoever was pounding against the door across the hall. _Are they calling my name?_ she wondered absently, then dismissed it as inconsequential and started to drift off again, when there was a knock on the door.

"Sergeant Bloch? Please get up, it's really important," came a voice.

Maria's mind went into overdrive. _Oh, this is bad, this is very bad. I can't answer the door; what if it's a higher-up and they draw the wrong conclusion?_ "Denny!" she hissed, poking him roughly. "Get up!"

"Mm?" he groaned.

"_Now_, Bloch! There's someone at the door, and I can't very well answer!" She growled in frustration and pushed him off the bed in an effort to wake him as the knock was repeated. Unfortunately her limbs were still tangled in his, and she was pulled to the floor as well. _Oh, this is... compromising,_ was her first thought after the stars cleared and she saw where she had landed. Squarely on his chest with her face again bare centimeters from his own. And now he was awake.

Awkward pause.

"Sergeant Bloch?" again came the knock on the door, then the sound of the handle being tried.

"Please tell me you locked that," Maria said, and Denny's mouth opened in an 'O'.

_There goes _my_ career_, she thought as Alphonse opened the door and stopped, staring at the two on the floor.

"Um," he said lamely, and he would have blushed if he could. "Am I interrupting something?"

"It's not what it looks like, I swear!" Maria waved her hands frantically, flushing a deep red as she jumped to her feet.

Denny stood as fast as he could, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously and staring at the ground. Both of the soldiers realized that their Military careers were over if anything were reported.

"Good, you found them," Ed said, pushing Al out of the way to enter the room. "And you two are in the same place, good. Saves me the trouble of searching for Lieutenant Ross, I couldn't find you in your room... wait," he paused. "Lieutenant Ross, why _are_ you in his room?"

"Long story," Maria said quickly. "We weren't doing anything improper sir, he just let me stay the night because-"

"Right, I don't care," he cut her off. "I have more important things to worry about than whatever you two were or weren't doing. I really don't want to know. I need your help."

-xXx-

On the roof of an office building across the street from an apartment building, a member of the Organization lit himself a cigarette. Set up next to him was a telescope that was oriented toward one of the windows of the apartment building.

"Put that out!" a woman ordered him, coming to sit on the edge next to him, placing her backpack by the telescope. "You want someone to notice us? That Rhade chick's supposed to be real observant."

The man scoffed. "No worries. She's asleep, look," he gestured toward the telescope. "It was a very disappointing evening for me. Rhade and that Military man seemed to be getting it on, and then they stop. No sex or nothin'."

"You're disgusting," the woman said, shaking her head. "Anyway, you're out of here, since I'm replacing you."

"Ah, what's the hurry? I don't want to go back to base just yet. Here I can relax, have a smoke, enjoy the morning air... Enjoy pleasant company," he smirked at the woman.

"You're gonna wanna head back. Something big's goin' down today. Mae'var's got the whole Organization in an uproar. Something about 'the final strike' or whatnot."

"Huh," the man put out his cigarette. "I guess I will head back then. Have fun." He stood and offered a half-hearted wave over his shoulder as he headed down the fire escape.

"Men," the woman groaned, laying down and putting her eye to the telescope.

-xXx-

Roy woke slowly, not wanting to open his eyes for fear that everything had been a dream. He could feel warm breath against his bare chest, and he looked down to see Riza cuddled against him, still fast asleep. In sleep, her face was softened from the emotionless mask she seemed to don every day, and she looked peaceful and innocent. Everything seemed to drift away; no Organization, no Ishbal, no Military... just the two of them, together.

It couldn't last, of course- they both had their separate missions, and even when she did get back to her customary role as his Lieutenant, they wouldn't be able to spend as much time together as he would want. That's assuming everything went well, and her identity wasn't discovered by the Organization, and she was able to shut them down and return to the Military. Would she even want to do that? And if she did, how would he be able to work with her every day without thinking of what might have been if it weren't for the fact that he wanted to be promoted and couldn't afford to have his... involvement with her to be discovered? Everything was such a mess.

Riza moaned in her sleep, as if sensing his worried thoughts. Roy stroked a hand down the side of her face, smoothing away the lines. He turned his head to look at the clock- nine in the morning. Looking back down at her, he saw Riza was awake and looking at him.

"I should go out and get the milk before someone steals it," she said softly, cracking a small smile.

Roy mock-glared at her. "What, no 'good morning, Roy', no 'I love you, Roy', just 'I have to get the milk before someone steals it'?" Even as he taunted her, he could feel a large grin spreading across his face.

Riza smiled back. "Good morning, Roy. I love you, Roy. I have to get the milk now, Roy." Her smile reminded him of a vixen, then she couldn't hold it and laughed, getting up and grabbing her bathrobe from the chair in the corner.

He sighed and let her escape from his arms. Riza padded over to the door and opened it to see a little boy, maybe seven years old, in the middle of taking one of the four glass bottles full of milk. She glared down at the child. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

The dark-haired boy smiled up at her, teeth startlingly white against dark skin, and showed the milk, heedless of the glare. "Mine?" he asked innocently.

Riza's lips twitched. "Fine, but don't do it again! Now get out of here!"

"Thank you, missy! You're nice!" The child carefully walked down the stairs with the milk bottle, careful not to spill a single drop.

"That was nice of you," Roy said, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiled and rested her head against his chest, watching the boy go down the stairs.

"He's a nice kid. Orphaned. The manager of the apartment took pity on him and lets him to do little jobs around the building for money." Her expression saddened as she watched him go around the corner. "I could do so much for him if it weren't for the fact that I have to stay in-character as a ruthless killer," she added softly.

"Come on," Roy gently pushed her inside, grabbing the wooden crate with now only three bottles in it. "I'm hungry."

"So demanding," she chided as he put the crate on the kitchen table and took one of the bottles and raised it to his lips. "Wait, don't drink that-" she started, but he ignored her.

After taking a gulp, he smiled. "Wow. I forgot how good milk tastes when it's delivered. This tastes better than the kind they sell out East."

"It should," Riza replied with a sigh. "There's cocaine in it."

Roy paused. "What?"

"The Organization controls the milk distributor for a percentage of the profit. If they put an addicting, not to mention illegal, drug into the milk, people are more likely to keep buying from that company."

"And you let that little kid take some?"

"There's not much I can do. I can't very well run around the city going: 'don't drink the milk, it's addicting!' now can I?"

"These are nice people you work with, Riza," he said sarcastically, putting the milk back on the table.

"Don't I know it," she sighed. "What are we going to do now? You probably have places to be."

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No," Riza looked up, surprised he would have to ask. "We don't have much of a choice though, do we? I have to report in before they become suspicious."

"Can't we have breakfast first?" Roy looked at her, mindful that the time they would have together would be short.

"If you feel like cooking, feel free," she smiled. "Or we could do other things." She quirked an eyebrow flirtatiously.

Roy smirked and took her into his arms, kissing her gently. "Do we get to do things like this in the office when you get back to work?"

"Mm..." she pretended to think about it. "If you're a good boy." She leaned in for another kiss.

-xXx-

Winry struggled against the ropes binding her whenever the guard wasn't looking. She had been dumped in a small dank cell; her hands and feet tied and mouth gagged. She was furious at herself both for being captured in the first place and not being able to free herself from the thick ropes. She could feel her wrists chafing with every movement, and still the ropes didn't loosen any.

"Would you stop fooling around in there?" the guard snapped through the small barred window in the thick wooden door, the only source of light into the dim stone cell. "I can hear you."

Winry's retort was muffled by the gag.

"You don't have a chance in hell of getting out of those ropes," he continued, grinning wickedly through the bars. "Johnny may be a bit of an idiot, but he ties good knots."

"Mm's Honnie?"

"Who's Johnny?" the guard interpreted, and Winry nodded. "He's small fry. On the run from the law for killing his family. Dunno why Mae'var keeps him around; pretty bloody useless, if you ask me."

"No one's _asking_ you, are they now?" came a voice.

She could almost hear the guard gulp. "Sorry Johnny; you know I don't mean anything by it-"

"Hm. Open the door, and stop talking to the prisoner."

"'Kay," he agreed reluctantly. There was a rattle of keys, and the door swung open.

"Miss Rockbell," the seventeen-year-old greeted her with an insincere smile. "Mae'var wants you. Come on." Johnny pulled a knife from his boot and approached her.

Winry moaned in terror and tried to edge away as the knife came closer. He sliced the ropes holding her feet and roughly yanked her upright. "Let's go."

"You have nice eyes," Johnny said conversationally as he forced her to walk down the hall. "My sister had eyes like yours, except they were green. I like eyes because you can see a lot about a person's intentions in them. Most people don't look you in the eye because if you're lying to their face and it's something they want to hear, they don't want to know your lying. You can tell things like that with the eyes."

Winry struggled against his grip, but he was stronger than he looked.

"Like Lisa Rhade. Her eyes are guarded, and hard to read. Mae'var's are something special, but it's hard to see the emotion through the alchemy-symbols carved on them." He opened a door and forced Winry through into another hall.

"Yes, I liked my sister's eyes. Green, like emeralds. I like emeralds, and when I was little I thought her eyes _were_ emeralds. Yours are like... not sapphires, the lighter blue aquamarine stones... can't remember what they're called, but they're really pretty. Anyway, emeralds are still my favorite.

"Imagine my disappointment when I cut out her eyes and found out that they weren't any kind of gemstone at all." His voice remained thoughtful, and for all anyone knew they were discussing the weather.

Winry flinched with a small, muffled outcry, staring up at him with fear.

"We're here," Johnny said, still in his frighteningly thoughtful tone of voice. "I'll be waiting to take you back to your cell." He opened the door, revealing the same room she had been taken to before. He threw her down onto the lush red carpeting and nodded once respectfully to Mae'var, then shut the door.

Winry whimpered as Mae'var grabbed her ponytail and forced her to her knees. "You're a nice girl, Miss Rockbell," he said kindly. Then his voice turned cold. "I don't like nice girls. Apparently Edward Elric likes you, though. He should charge in with all guns blazing to come to your rescue. That will be interesting, now won't it?"

She glared at him defiantly, and if she weren't gagged she would have spit on him.

He slapped her across the face and released her hair, letting her fall to the side. Mae'var turned to study a painting of two ancient gods locked in an epic battle.

Winry laid there, trembling, when she realized an important fact. Her feet were still unbound. Gathering her resolve, she stood and charged at the man while his back was turned, hitting him hard on the back of the neck.

Mae'var grunted in surprise and pain as he collapsed to the ground. The girl turned and frantically jiggled the handle with her tied hands until she finally got the right angle to force it open. She ran as fast as she could, hearing Johnny curse and give chase.

"Stop her!" he shouted down the hall at a pair of thugs who were leaning against the wall. They looked up in confusion to see Winry run past, fear and adrenaline lending her speed. She looked behind her quickly to see that they, too, were following her. Her breath came in frenzied gasps as she ran.

The corridor ended in a locked door. She pounded her fists against it futilely, cursing as she turned to face her pursuers. Winry roughly used her bound hands to pull the gag out of her mouth. "Stay back!" she cried, voice cracking.

"That wasn't very nice," Johnny said angrily as the other men moved forward to take her.

She kicked out, catching one of them in the knee. He dropped to the ground, howling as it bent in a direction that human knees were never meant to go. The second approached more cautiously, hands raised to protect his face. "Don't come near me," Winry warned, raising her own still-bound hands, trying to copy one of the defensive stances she had seen Alphonse use.

He charged, and she dodged, but she lost her balance and fell to the ground. Swooping forward, Johnny kicked her in the stomach. She coughed and folded in. She froze as his knife was held against her throat.

"You two are pathetic," the young man said to the two older men. "You never make the first move against a cornered opponent. You should know that. It's a wonder you two aren't dead already." Johnny looked down at Winry. "I wonder," he said, voice moving back to thoughtful as the other two took off. "What would Mae'var do if I only cut out _one_ of your eyes?" The knife neared her left eye, and her breath came in short, shallow gulps. "He said I couldn't have them, though, but maybe just _one_-"

"Johnny," came Mae'var's voice sternly as he walked toward them. "No."

"Of course," he yanked her to her feet. "You want me to be takin' her back to her cell?"

"Yes. Do that. And tell whoever's guarding the cells that this one doesn't get anything to eat. And don't do the ropes again- chain her to the wall." Mae'var glared at her, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm being lenient because I need you undamaged for Elric, but try to escape again, and I won't be so soft. Go," he jerked his head, and Johnny pulled her along the corridor, his grip none too gentle.

-xXx-

"Hold on a minute, sir," Maria held up her hand. The four of them sat in a circle in the middle of Denny's room. "How do we know Winry's really been kidnapped? You said it yourself that Ms. Rockbell doesn't have the proper codes to call in to base. Maybe you should call her and check. For all you know it could be someone in the Organization trying to get you to rush in blindly."

Edward nodded thoughtfully. "Right. I'll do that. I want you two to get ready though- and not in uniform. I'm going to do some poking around, and if you two want to come, I don't want to stick out."

"Umm... should I stay here, then?" Alphonse asked. "I'm not very inconspicuous, Brother."

Denny nodded. "Stay by the phones in case we need to contact you." He paused and realized that he had no right to make that decision. "By your leave, of course, sir," he added quickly.

"Would you two knock it off? There's no need to treat me like a higher-up who's going to pounce on every word," Ed snapped. "I realize that I need your help, and I'm asking for your opinion as soldiers. Don't worry about offending me; I have bigger goals in mind than getting promoted, or ending your careers. Now get changed and meet me in the communications booth. I have a call to make." He abruptly got up and left.

"Did I say something wrong?" Denny asked, confused.

Al shook his head. "No. Ed's just not used to having to be the one giving the orders, and I don't think he likes that you're relying on him for everything. We are still just kids, after all." He nodded his head respectfully. "I'll be with Brother. You should get changed quickly. If Winry's kidnapping is confirmed, he's going to want to leave as soon as possible."

-xXx-

That afternoon, Riza met up with Jade in an empty room inside the network of tunnels that was the headquarters of the Organization. "Here's the location," she said, passing him a slip of paper. "Now take me to X."

"Not yet," the slightly built man tucked the paper into his coat pocket. "We'll have people checking it out before you get anywhere close to X... Lieutenant."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me; Riza Hawkeye, First Lieutenant of the Amestris Military, currently assigned to Eastern Headquarters under direct command of Colonel Roy Mustang." He held up a hand. "No, no, don't try and deny it. I've known who you were since before you joined. Last night only confirmed it." He smiled and produced a pistol out of nowhere, faster than blinking.

Jade held the muzzle against her throat and regarded her thoughtfully. "So what am I going to do with you now?"

_End Part Ten_

**A/N: Everything will begin to move rather quickly from this point on. However, I won't be able to upload anything for at least a week and a half, as I will be in Philadelphia with my godfather until next Sunday, and then the Tuesday after that I am going to the Civil War battlefields of Gettysburg and Antietam. I'm sorry for leaving it off here! I was unable to get in touch with either of my beta readers before I uploaded this, so I apologize for its lack of beta-ed-ness.**

**A thing about Winry... I've noticed in a lot of the Ed/Winry fics Winry's this weak little nothing who can do nothing for herself. I really don't think that's the way her character is, so that's why the extended Winry-kick-butt-ness in this chapter... It's basically to show that she's not a weakling who sits around waiting for Ed to save her.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: _saponin, Fei Ku, Kusaqi, Anicka, Jenny, MoonStarDutchess, FLAMETAL, Perennial Rhinitis, i AM the Random Idiot, lili, and Daughter of Helba_... Thanks to all of you, and if I spelled your name wrong, feel free to yell at me!**

**-Jade Rhade**


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